Usman Salis
⬤ OpenAI's long-term revenue trajectory looks nothing short of explosive. Projections detailed by The Information show the company's potential scale relative to today's biggest tech revenue benchmarks - and the numbers are staggering. Total revenue could jump from around $18 billion in 2023 to roughly $284 billion by 2030.
⬤ Breaking that down by segment: the consumer side of ChatGPT - ads, subscriptions, and everything in between - is projected to account for about $150 billion by 2030. Platform APIs, including sales through Microsoft Azure, are forecast at around $40 billion. ChatGPT business and enterprise services could reach approximately $78 billion, and new products like hardware are expected to chip in another $16 billion.
⬤ The industry comparisons are what really put things in perspective. OpenAI's projected 2030 revenue could be roughly twice Meta's wearable segment and three times YouTube's annual revenue. OpenAI is already testing sponsored ads in ChatGPT for US free users - a sign the company is actively building the monetization layers that could make these numbers real. These are forward-looking estimates, not earnings reports, but the direction is hard to ignore.
⬤ If OpenAI genuinely approaches Google Cloud-level revenue by the end of the decade, it would mark a fundamental shift in how AI platforms are valued and monetized. Sustained adoption across enterprise systems and consumer channels could reshape the entire digital economy - and signal that AI-native platforms are no longer a future bet, but a present-day force.
Usman Salis
