OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar on 800 Million Users and the Advertising Pivot

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar joined CNBC’s Joe Kernen, Becky Quick, and Andrew Ross Sorkin at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to discuss the company’s dramatic growth and evolving commercial strategy. The conversation centered on the pivot from pure research to full-stack commercialization, a transition marked by explosive user adoption and the crucial, complex decision to introduce advertising. The scale is staggering: Friar noted that ChatGPT users have ballooned from under 300 million a year ago to 800 million today, representing an over 3x surge in just twelve months.

This rapid consumer adoption creates what Friar termed a “massive capability overhang.” While the average user might use the tool simply for “search,” the true power users—developers, researchers, and early enterprise adopters—are demonstrating deep, transformative engagement. Friar stated that these sophisticated users are utilizing the platform “seven times more than just the average user.” This usage disparity underscores OpenAI’s dual focus: expanding general access while driving deeper, specialized applications in the enterprise sector.

The strategic emphasis is clearly shifting toward the enterprise, a space Anthropic’s CEO had previously claimed as their focus. Friar revealed that OpenAI's revenue split, which was roughly 70% consumer and 30% enterprise a year prior, is now closer to 60/40 and is projected to reach 50/50 by the end of the year. The shift into the "agentic enterprise" is less about simple chat interfaces and more about embedding AI deeply into core business processes.

Friar emphasized that the current era of AI adoption is defined by closing the gap between the technology’s immense potential and its practical application across industries. This transformation is moving quickly beyond simple Q&A functions into complex, multi-step tasks. She highlighted the healthcare sector as an area of profound promise, citing that "66% of U.S. physicians say they’re using ChatGPT daily in their work." This usage extends to tasks like reviewing biopsies or providing guidance in "health deserts" where access to specialized knowledge is limited.

The banking sector provides another compelling example of transformative enterprise value. Friar recounted a discussion with the chairman of a major bank, BBVA, who detailed their internal deployment. "OpenAI helped us go from, you know, 10,000 deployed seats to over 120,000," she said. "They have helped us deploy into our call centers, into our credit screening. It is truly transforming the bank." This deep integration, she argued, creates loyalty not through simple platform lock-in, but through demonstrable, mission-critical value delivered across multiple languages and global operations.

For the massive consumer base, 95% of whom currently access the service for free, OpenAI is initiating an advertising revenue stream—a direction Sam Altman previously expressed reluctance about. Friar outlined the three core principles guiding this monetization strategy, placing user trust above all else. First and foremost is maintaining the integrity of the model, declaring the company’s "North Star is the model always gives you the best answer, not the paid-for answer. That has to remain goal one." Secondly, conversations and user data will not be shared or sold to advertisers. The third pillar involves offering a non-ad layer (subscription) and utilizing the new revenue stream to fund continued research and expansion, particularly lowering inference costs for broader access.

The discussion inevitably turned to the competitive landscape, particularly the recent deal between Google and Apple to integrate Gemini into the iPhone. Friar remained unconcerned, framing the iPhone as an "amazing distribution partner" but maintaining that users are increasingly choosing the OpenAI interface directly. The company views ChatGPT as transcending the underlying hardware or operating system. "We’ve become the noun and the verb," she asserted, suggesting that for many users, the interaction begins directly with ChatGPT, regardless of whether the device is Android or iOS. This focus on direct user engagement and becoming the default AI layer is key to mitigating platform risk.

OpenAI’s path forward is defined by a commitment to its Public Benefit Corporation status, aiming for AGI for the benefit of humanity. This mission is critical to its operational decisions, including its monetization strategy. Friar emphasized that the free tier must remain accessible to all, not just those who can pay.

Addressing the ongoing legal challenges, particularly the high-profile lawsuit filed by Elon Musk, Friar dismissed the litigation as a "distraction tactic." She emphasized that the company is focused on execution and maintaining its core mission rather than getting caught up in external noise. She noted the company’s strong financial position, including the $41 billion private fundraise, which provides the necessary capital and stability to continue pursuing its dual goals of consumer and enterprise value creation.