OpenAI has achieved a significant milestone with ChatGPT, reaching over 400 million weekly active users in February, up from 300 million in December 2024. The company also reported that its business tier users surpassed two million, nearly doubling since September. This growth comes amid competition from Chinese startup DeepSeek, which recently launched its AI model and aims to outperform Western rivals at a lower cost. However, DeepSeek faces scrutiny over privacy concerns and how it acquired Nvidia’s H800 chips despite a US export ban on Chinese goods.
OpenAI continues to see increased engagement, with a twofold rise in developer traffic for its reasoning models over the past six months and a fivefold increase for the o3 model since its launch in January. These developments highlight OpenAI's momentum in 2025, as it remains focused on maintaining its leadership in the AI space despite emerging global competition.
Key takeaways:
OpenAI's ChatGPT reached over 400 million weekly active users in February, showing significant growth from 300 million in December 2024.
The business tier users of OpenAI nearly doubled, surpassing two million in February.
Chinese startup DeepSeek launched its AI model, potentially challenging Western rivals despite facing scrutiny over privacy and export issues.
OpenAI experienced a twofold rise in developer traffic for reasoning models and a fivefold increase for the o3 model since its launch in late January.
