Is ChatGPT About to Turn Into an Ad Platform? Inside the New Ad Code Leak

Ad‑related code discovered in ChatGPT Android app (v1.2025.329)

Developer Tibor identified explicit strings in the test‑version code indicating an advertising subsystem.

Search Ad : a single sponsored link displayed in response to a specific user query.

Search Ad Carousel : a swipeable carousel that can show multiple related ads.

Bazaar Content : an e‑commerce‑style unit for promoting products or services.

These identifiers appear as literal strings “ads feature”, “search ad”, “search ads carousel” and “bazaar content”.

User scale and potential ad revenue

OpenAI reports ~800 million weekly active users and ~2.5 billion daily requests. Using the standard advertising revenue model: Revenue = DAU × impressions per user × eCPM Even with conservative industry eCPM values, the scale suggests a multi‑billion‑dollar annual revenue potential.

Financial context

Analysts estimate that maintaining the compute infrastructure alone may cost several hundred billion dollars per year, far exceeding the $20 per‑month ChatGPT Plus subscription and current API revenue. Projected cumulative losses could exceed $1 trillion by 2029.

Monetization considerations

Commentator “Otoman” emphasizes the need to balance profit with user trust. He warns that paid ranking that demotes higher‑quality results could damage confidence, whereas a commission model on user‑initiated bookings may be more acceptable.

Reference

Source tweet: https://x.com/btibor91/status/1994714152636690834?s=20