OpenAI surpasses $10 billion in a quarter: where the money comes from and why it keeps losing
According to Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal, OpenAI invoiced around $10 billion between July and September, almost 50% more than the previous quarter. But its operating losses are also growing. We explain it to you.
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OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has reportedly surpassed $10 billion in revenue for the first time in a single quarter, the third quarter of 2026 (July to September). This was first reported by Bloomberg, based on anonymous sources, and later picked up by the Wall Street Journal and The Information with documents for investors. OpenAI has not officially released the figures.
The Figures
| Data | Published Figure |
|---|---|
| Revenue for the third quarter of 2026 | Around $10 billion |
| Revenue for the previous quarter | $6.7 billion |
| Quarterly growth | Almost 50% |
| Year-over-year growth | Around 2.6 times more than a year ago |
| Annualized rate | Around $50 billion, according to Bloomberg |
| Operating losses for the quarter | $10.9 billion (compared to $10.1 billion) |
| Advertising | Annualized rate of around $1 billion, according to The Information |
Where the Money Comes From
- ChatGPT subscriptions for individuals (paid plans with more usage and features).
- Plans for businesses and teams, the line that is growing the fastest in the entire sector.
- The API, which developers and companies use to integrate models into their products.
- Advertising, a new source that, according to The Information, is already at an annualized rate of around $1 billion.
Why is OpenAI Losing So Much Money?
Training and running AI models is extremely expensive. OpenAI spends enormous amounts on data centers, chips, and energy, and on hiring talent. Although revenue is growing very rapidly, expenses are growing at almost the same rate: operating losses went from $10.1 billion to $10.9 billion. The good news for the company is that the adjusted operating margin is improving (from -150% to -109%, according to WSJ documents): it loses less for every dollar it earns.
How OpenAI Stacks Up Against the Competition
The media outlets that have published the figures place OpenAI behind Anthropic in the business-to-business market, where the rival is growing faster. Note: the two companies calculate their annualized revenue differently, so the figures cannot be directly compared.
Why You Should Care Even if You Don't Use ChatGPT
OpenAI's revenue rate is one of the arguments used by big tech companies to justify their spending on AI infrastructure. This spending, in turn, is one of the reasons why memory and graphics cards are so expensive in 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these official figures? No. They come from anonymous sources and documents for investors published by the press.
Will the price of ChatGPT increase? There has been no announcement.
Is OpenAI publicly traded? No, it is not listed on the stock exchange; that's why its figures are known through leaks and investors.
Sources: Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal (via Reuters), The Information, and TechCrunch.
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