ChatGPT closes in on 1 billion weekly users as OpenAI’s growth accelerates

ChatGPT

• ChatGPT reaches 900 million weekly users, close to 1 billion mark
• OpenAI raises $110 billion, valuing company at $730 billion
• Paying subscribers reach 50 million, growth accelerates in 2025

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OpenAI has revealed that ChatGPT has reached 900 million weekly active users, a jump of 100 million since October 2025, when the company last reported 800 million.

The figure places ChatGPT within striking distance of 1 billion weekly users, a milestone rarely achieved by consumer technology platforms. OpenAI also confirmed it now has 50 million paying subscribers.

“Subscriber momentum accelerated meaningfully to start the year, with January and February on track to be the largest months for new subscribers in our history,” the company said in a blog post.

According to OpenAI, users rely on ChatGPT to “learn, write, plan, and build.” The company added that as usage scales, improvements become immediately noticeable: “faster responses, higher reliability, stronger safety, and more consistent performance.”

A $110 billion funding round

The user milestone coincides with one of the largest private funding rounds ever announced. OpenAI disclosed it has raised $110 billion in fresh capital at a $730 billion pre-money valuation.

The round includes a $50 billion investment from Amazon, along with $30 billion each from Nvidia and SoftBank. The round remains open, and OpenAI expects additional investors to participate.

If finalised at the stated valuation, the deal would cement OpenAI as one of the most valuable private companies in the world.

The rapid growth in weekly active users and paying subscribers underlines how quickly AI tools have moved from novelty to infrastructure. Unlike social media platforms, which often monetise indirectly through advertising, ChatGPT’s growth in paid subscriptions suggests a direct willingness among users to pay for AI productivity tools.

With fresh capital and nearly a billion weekly users, OpenAI now faces a different challenge: sustaining trust, reliability and safety at unprecedented scale.

The next milestone may be 1 billion users. The bigger question is what happens when it gets there.