OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is strategically redirecting its focus towards business users as it confronts intense pressure from rival Anthropic in the corporate artificial intelligence market. Company executives have revealed plans to launch a new AI model specifically designed for "high-value professional work," marking a significant shift in priorities as competition for enterprise customers escalates.
Strategic Shift Towards Profitability
OpenAI's chief financial officer, Sarah Friar, highlighted the company's evolving strategy in an interview with The Associated Press. She noted that while ChatGPT boasts over 900 million weekly users, approximately 95% of them do not pay for the service. These free interactions, while building user reliance, also strain the costly computing resources required to power AI systems. Consequently, OpenAI is increasingly relying on big business customers to bolster its financial sustainability.
"You'll see a new model coming from us in short order. We feel very excited about it," Friar stated, underscoring the company's commitment to enhancing its business-oriented offerings. This pivot involves shedding some consumer initiatives, such as the AI video generator app Sora, to concentrate resources on developing more advanced professional tools. Friar described the decision as "a little heartbreaking" but necessary to ensure computational capacity for the new model.
Intensifying Rivalry with Anthropic
The competition between OpenAI and Anthropic has reached a fever pitch, with both San Francisco-based AI research laboratories operating at a loss despite staggering valuations. OpenAI is valued at $852 billion, while Anthropic stands at $380 billion, driving a fierce race to generate revenue ahead of potential public listings on Wall Street.
Anthropic has gained traction with its Claude models, particularly among software professionals. The company recently launched Claude Mythos, which it claims is so capable that access is restricted due to its ability to surpass human cybersecurity experts. In response, OpenAI introduced GPT-Rosalind, a specialized model named after scientist Rosalind Franklin, aimed at advancing drug discovery and life sciences research.
Friar reported that business customers now account for 40% of OpenAI's revenue, up from 20% when she joined in 2024, and are expected to reach 50% by year's end. This sharp turnaround follows earlier consumer-focused ventures, such as a now-shuttered Sora partnership with Disney and plans for ChatGPT ads, which have been scaled back to refocus on corporate solutions.
Leadership and Market Positioning
Signaling its strategic shift, OpenAI hired Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief revenue officer three months ago. Dresser has been actively engaging corporate leaders to position OpenAI as the premier platform for workplace AI automation. "It's really clear to me that companies are past the experimentation phase and they're into using AI to do real work," she remarked, emphasizing the transformative potential of AI in business environments.
However, Anthropic's rise poses a significant challenge. Founded by ex-OpenAI leaders prioritizing AI safety, Anthropic has positioned itself as a more responsible vendor, attracting consumer interest and reporting annualized revenues of $30 billion. Friar and Dresser have questioned this figure, suggesting it may be inflated due to revenue-sharing arrangements with cloud providers like Amazon and Google.
Luke Emberson, a researcher at Epoch AI, noted, "They're likely quite close. Certainly the trends show Anthropic is growing much faster than OpenAI. If that continues, they're likely to cross soon."
Internal Memos and Industry Skepticism
The urgency of this competition prompted Dresser to send a memo to OpenAI employees, first reported by The Verge, asserting that Anthropic's coding focus "gave them an early wedge" but expressing confidence in OpenAI's "real structural advantage" as AI usage expands. The memo criticized Anthropic's approach as built on "fear, restriction, and the idea that a small group of elites should control AI," while championing OpenAI's positive message of accessibility and empowerment.
Despite the optimism, skeptics like author and AI critic Ed Zitron warn of a "subprime AI crisis," where businesses become dependent on financially unstable AI providers. Both companies have imposed rate limits and premium tiers to manage costs, raising concerns about long-term viability. "Public companies can and will die, especially ones that are dependent on $100 billion to $200 billion every year or so, just to keep breathing," Zitron cautioned.
As OpenAI and Anthropic vie for dominance in the corporate AI arena, the industry watches closely, balancing the promise of advanced technology against the substantial costs and competitive pressures that define this high-stakes landscape.
