OpenAI Advertising Business Reaches $1 Billion Annualized Revenue Run Rate After About 200 Days

OpenAI announced Monday that its advertising business has crossed $1 billion in annualized revenue run rate, reaching the milestone roughly 200 days after launching ads in the United States. The company is positioning the figure as evidence of a diversified business model that spans enterprise contracts, consumer subscriptions, and usage-based APIs, alongside the nascent ad unit.

The ad business launched in the U.S. in February 2026, initially drawing attention from rival Anthropic, which targeted the move in a Super Bowl commercial. OpenAI has since expanded globally, with ChatGPT ads now live in more than 40 countries, and on Monday opened its self-serve Ads Manager to marketers in India, Europe, and additional regions. The platform has added a cost-per-click pricing option alongside its original cost-per-thousand-impressions structure, and removed a prior $50,000 minimum spending requirement to broaden access.

The advertising milestone arrives as OpenAI prepares for what is expected to be a massive IPO, with the company under pressure to justify its $852 billion valuation. OpenAI reported $6.7 billion in total revenue for the second quarter of 2026, up from $5.7 billion the prior quarter, against a net loss of $38.5 billion for full-year 2025 on $13.07 billion in annual revenue. A planned IPO is currently targeted for 2027.