News of the day
1. ChatGPT is rolling out ads for free and Go tier users, clearly labeled and not influencing responses. This move contrasts with CEO Altman's past statements on ads → Read more
2. Sequoia Capital makes its first investment in AI firm Anthropic, valuing the company at $350 billion as part of a $25 billion raise → Read more
3. AI agents built a web browser from scratch, writing over 1 million lines of code. The project used planners and workers, with impressive but imperfect results. → Read more
4. South Korea sees AI subscription spending surpass Netflix, driven by ChatGPT's popularity. This marks a significant shift in digital consumer habits. → Read more
Our take
Hi Dotikers!
OpenAI just announced that ads are coming to ChatGPT. A decision that raises eyebrows when you remember Sam Altman's statements from less than two years ago.
In May 2024, at a Harvard conference, OpenAI's CEO was crystal clear: combining ads with AI felt "uniquely unsettling" to him and he considered it a "last resort" for the business model. He also explained that Google's advertising model relied on "doing badly for the user". Because if Google always gave the best answer, no one would need to click on an ad. ChatGPT was supposed to be different: aligned with the user because the user is the one paying.
So what changed? Financial reality. Despite 800 million weekly users and $13 billion in revenue in 2025, OpenAI projects $14 billion in losses for 2026 and $44 billion cumulative by 2028. With $1.4 trillion committed to infrastructure over 8 years and only 5% of users paying, the math doesn't work anymore. Altman eventually admitted on X that "a lot of people want to use a lot of AI and don't want to pay".
Testing starts soon in the US on the free tier and the new ChatGPT Go ($8/month). Plus, Pro and Enterprise subscribers won't see ads. OpenAI promises that responses will never be influenced by advertisers. But Altman himself had warned that mishandling advertising could create a "trust-destroying moment". Stay tuned.
Alex.
Meme of the day
