By 2030, OpenAI Will Have 220 Million Paying Users But Still Won’t Be Profitable

According to a report by The Information citing an insider, OpenAI estimates that at least 220 million ChatGPT users hold paid subscriptions.

ChatGPT currently boasts 800 million weekly active users, and as of July, approximately 35 million were paying for either the $20-per-month Plus plan or the $200-per-month tier, according to The Information.

Reuters reports that OpenAI’s annual revenue is projected to reach $20 billion by the end of this year.

Citing a recent update from HSBC’s U.S. services team, the Financial Times forecasts that ChatGPT could grow to 3 billion weekly users by 2030.

The same projection suggests that 10% of these users—amounting to 300 million—will become paying subscribers by year-end, surpassing OpenAI’s own estimates.

However, HSBC also cautioned that the company may not achieve profitability by 2030 and would require at least $207 billion in computing capacity to sustain its growth trajectory.

Given Microsoft’s 27% stake in OpenAI, its quarterly filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have revealed the significant scale of its investment losses.

In the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, Microsoft’s net profit was reduced by $3.1 billion due to recognized losses from its investment in OpenAI.

Microsoft has committed $13 billion to OpenAI and has already disbursed $11.6 billion.

This investment is accounted for as equity, with Microsoft recording its share of OpenAI’s profits or losses under “net other income (expense).”

Based on Microsoft’s disclosures, The Register noted that if the company holds a 27% stake in OpenAI and reported a $3.1 billion loss from this investment in a single quarter, OpenAI’s total quarterly loss would amount to roughly $11.5 billion.