ChatGPT Hits 300M Weekly Users as OpenAI Faces Growth, Drama, and Rising Competition

From explosive user growth to internal shakeups, OpenAI’s flagship chatbot enters 2025 at a crossroads.

Emmanuella Madu
2 Min Read

Since its debut in November 2022, ChatGPT has transformed from a productivity tool into a global phenomenon, now boasting 300 million weekly active users.

The past year marked a series of major milestones for OpenAI. In 2024, the company partnered with Apple to power its generative AI service Apple Intelligence, rolled out GPT-4o with advanced voice capabilities, and launched its highly anticipated text-to-video model, Sora.

But OpenAI’s meteoric rise hasn’t been without turbulence. The company weathered high-profile executive departures, including co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever and CTO Mira Murati. It has also faced lawsuits from Alden Global Capital-owned newspapers over alleged copyright infringement, along with a legal battle from Elon Musk, who sought to halt its shift toward a for-profit structure.

Looking ahead, OpenAI is navigating a competitive landscape where Chinese rivals like DeepSeek are gaining ground. At the same time, the company is working to strengthen ties with U.S. policymakers, pursue a massive data center initiative, and reportedly prepare for one of the largest funding rounds in tech history.

Related: Apple Rolls Out New Enterprise AI Controls, ChatGPT Integration in September Updates 

Alongside these corporate developments, OpenAI continues to release regular product updates for ChatGPT,  which we’ve tracked in a running timeline for 2025.

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