OpenAI announced Thursday its ChatGPT business offerings have surpassed 1 million paid users. This figure, which includes subscribers across ChatGPT Enterprise, Team, and Edu plans, represents an impressive 67% increase from the 600,000 users reported in April.
The announcement comes just one day after Anthropic launched its Claude Enterprise plan, which similarly targets corporate clients with enhanced privacy and security features.
Chris McKay
OpenAI’s push into education with ChatGPT Edu, launched in May, has significantly bolstered its user base as universities embrace the tool for both administrative efficiency and academic support. From helping students with writing tasks to assisting researchers with complex data analysis, the AI’s versatility has made it a valuable asset in higher education.
The company's ability to scale quickly and maintain a strong presence in major markets like the US, Germany, Japan, and the UK has proven crucial in fending off competition. While the free version of ChatGPT continues to attract hundreds of millions of monthly users, it's the paid business tiers, with their enhanced features and robust privacy safeguards, that are becoming increasingly central to OpenAI's strategy.
These premium offerings serve a dual purpose: they provide advanced capabilities to corporate clients while helping offset the substantial costs associated with developing their cutting-edge language models.
That said, OpenAI is reportedly exploring higher-priced subscription plans for upcoming versions of its LLMs. These models promise enhanced capabilities, particularly in reasoning and deep research functions, aiming to attract even more businesses seeking cutting-edge AI solutions.
This push for higher-tier services comes amid reports that tech giants Apple and NVIDIA are considering investments in OpenAI, potentially valuing the company above $100 billion.