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OpenAI has reportedly fallen short of internal goals for new users and revenue, according to a report late Monday, April 27, from The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). The misses have raised concerns among some executives about whether the artificial intelligence (AI) startup can fund its data center plans.
The WSJ said Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar told other leaders she is concerned OpenAI may not be able to pay for future computing contracts if revenue does not grow quickly enough, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The report added that OpenAI missed an internal goal of reaching one billion weekly active users for ChatGPT by the end of 2025. The company has not yet announced that it has achieved the target, and the WSJ said the lack of confirmation has left some investors uneasy. The sources also said OpenAI is dealing with a loss of subscribers.
According to the WSJ, members of OpenAI’s board have been scrutinizing the company’s data center deals in recent months. The scrutiny includes questions about CEO Sam Altman’s push to accrue additional computing power even as business slows.
The WSJ said this closer oversight is limiting Altman’s ambitions ahead of a possible stock market listing this year. Friar and other executives have reportedly begun trying to control spending and impose more business discipline, putting them at odds with Altman, the sources said.
OpenAI issued a joint statement from Altman and Friar to the WSJ. The executives said they are “totally aligned” on buying as much compute as possible and working on it together every day. The statement also said the idea that the two are divided or pulling back on acquiring more computing resources is “ridiculous.”
The WSJ report is described as the latest in a series of accounts of internal friction at OpenAI. Earlier this month, The Information reported that Altman and Friar were at odds over the timing of the company’s initial public offering (IPO). That report also cited sources saying Altman excluded Friar from conversations with investors and from meetings about key financial decisions; both executives denied the claims and said they were fully aligned.
The following week, the Financial Times reported that OpenAI’s $852 billion valuation had caused concern among investors, alongside the company’s new focus on enterprise customers.
In recent months, OpenAI has made moves tied to a strategy that aims to maintain ChatGPT’s position as the leading consumer AI product while also competing with Anthropic for corporate customers. The WSJ said some investors believe these changes could leave OpenAI vulnerable to Anthropic and Google as it prepares for its IPO.
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