At a moment when competition in artificial intelligence is intensifying and investor scrutiny is sharpening, OpenAI is signaling renewed momentum. Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman has told employees that ChatGPT has returned to growth exceeding 10% per month, a pace that strengthens the company’s narrative as it moves closer to a potential $100 billion fundraising round. The message arrives against a backdrop of escalating rivalry, rising compute costs, and a capital market increasingly selective about which AI platforms can translate scale into sustainable economics.

A Reacceleration Story Inside OpenAI

In an internal message viewed by CNBC, Altman described recent weeks as a turning point, pointing to renewed user engagement and faster adoption across OpenAI’s core products. More than 800 million people now use ChatGPT weekly, underscoring its status as one of the most widely deployed consumer AI tools globally. Crucially, OpenAI is preparing to roll out an updated ChatGPT model, an effort designed to reinforce its technological edge after declaring a “code red” late last year to refocus resources on performance and reliability.

Beyond the headline chatbot, OpenAI’s developer-focused tools are also gaining traction. Altman highlighted rapid growth in Codex, the company’s coding assistant, which competes directly with offerings from Anthropic. Internally, executives frame this momentum as evidence that OpenAI can defend its position even as rivals narrow the gap in specialized use cases such as programming and enterprise workflows.

Competition, Perception, and the Ad Question

The renewed growth push has not occurred in a vacuum. Anthropic and other challengers have made visible inroads, particularly with coding products, while Google continues to leverage its distribution and data advantages. The rivalry spilled into public view during the Super Bowl, when Anthropic ran ads that appeared to mock OpenAI’s plans to introduce advertising within ChatGPT.

OpenAI has pushed back aggressively, with Altman dismissing the portrayal as misleading. Still, the decision to begin testing ads inside ChatGPT marks a strategic shift. Management has emphasized that ads will be clearly labeled and separated from responses, reflecting sensitivity to user trust. For investors, advertising represents a familiar but double-edged lever: a powerful revenue engine that must be balanced carefully to avoid eroding engagement or credibility.

The $100 Billion Funding Narrative

Altman and Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar are now taking this growth story to investors as OpenAI seeks to close what could become one of the largest private funding rounds in history. The talks highlight OpenAI’s consumer scale, expanding enterprise footprint, and access to compute through strategic partners. Existing and potential backers reportedly include Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, and SoftBank, reflecting how central OpenAI has become to the broader AI investment ecosystem.

From a market perspective, the size of the round signals confidence in long-term demand for generative AI, but it also raises expectations. At such valuations, investors will increasingly focus on monetization efficiency, competitive moats, and the sustainability of growth once early adoption matures.

Looking ahead, OpenAI’s challenge will be to convert its reaccelerating user growth into durable revenue while fending off increasingly capable rivals. The coming months, marked by new model launches and intensified fundraising talks, will test whether scale and speed can outweigh rising competition and capital intensity.