Ads on ChatGPT? OpenAI searches for ad chief to explore new revenue streams

Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s recently appointed CEO of Applications, is actively searching for a senior leader to oversee the company’s monetisation strategy. This could include the possible introduction of advertising on ChatGPT, Sources.news have reported.

The report said that Simo, who joined OpenAI last month and previously led the Facebook App before becoming CEO of Instacart, has been meeting with potential candidates for the role, including several of her former colleagues from Facebook.

The new hire will lead a team focused on generating revenue through both advertising and subscriptions, and will report directly to Simo. She is responsible for most of OpenAI’s operations, excluding research, infrastructure, hardware, and safety, which remain under CEO Sam Altman.


Discussions around advertising at OpenAI have been ongoing. Back in December, the Financial Times cited CFO Sarah Friar, who said the company aims to be “thoughtful about when and where we implement them (advertisements)”. However, in a follow-up statement, she clarified, “There are no active plans to pursue advertising”, but the internal dialogue suggests an openness to exploring this revenue model in the future.

In parallel with the executive search, OpenAI has advertised technical roles to support its advertising goals. Among them is a position for a ‘Growth Paid Marketing Platform Engineer’, responsible for building campaign management tools, integrating with major ad platforms, and developing real-time attribution systems for OpenAI's paid marketing platform.

While OpenAI reportedly generated $12.7 billion in revenue this year, more than three times its 2024 earnings, it continues to spend more than it earns. With over 700 million users but only 20 million paid subscribers, advertising presents a major opportunity for additional growth.