Since its launch in November 2022, OpenAI’s text-generating AI chatbot, ChatGPT, has dramatically reshaped the technological landscape, evolving into a colossal platform with 300 million weekly active users. The year 2025 marked a pivotal period for OpenAI, characterized by intense competition from rivals like DeepSeek and Google, a strategic re-evaluation under CEO Sam Altman’s “code red” memo, and ambitious endeavors in data center projects and funding rounds. This period also saw significant product advancements, strategic partnerships, and a series of legal and ethical challenges that underscored the rapidly changing dynamics of the AI industry.

The growth of ChatGPT throughout 2025 was exponential. By February, its weekly active users had surged to 400 million, reaching nearly 700 million by early August, and surpassing 800 million by October. The mobile app, launched in May 2023, hit $2 billion in global consumer spending by August 2025, outpacing rivals, and accelerated to over $3 billion by December. This rapid adoption extended to the enterprise sector, with OpenAI announcing over 1 million business clients globally by November 5, making it one of the fastest-growing business platforms in history.

OpenAI introduced a flurry of new models and features throughout 2025 to maintain its competitive edge and enhance user experience. Key model releases included GPT-4o, which served as the default model and received updates to address initial sycophancy issues. April saw the release of GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, and GPT-4.1 nano, specifically designed for coding capabilities. The company also launched its latest reasoning models, o3 and o4-mini, in April, followed by o1-pro in March. A significant milestone was the unveiling of GPT-5 in August, a smarter, task-ready AI capable of coding apps, managing calendars, and creating research briefs, available in “Auto,” “Fast,” and “Thinking” modes. This was followed by GPT-5.1 in November, with “Instant” and “Thinking” versions, and GPT-5.2 in December, available in Instant, Thinking, and Pro versions for paid users and developers, further intensifying the rivalry with Google.

Beyond core models, OpenAI expanded ChatGPT’s functionalities considerably. In January, the company previewed Operator, a general-purpose AI agent designed to automate web browser tasks, and also introduced features like scheduling reminders and recurring tasks, and allowing users to assign traits like “chatty” or “Gen Z” to the chatbot. February brought the “deep research” agent and the ability to use ChatGPT web search without logging in. March saw major upgrades to image generation, enabling Ghibli-style images and direct editing with GPT-4o, and an enhanced conversational voice mode. The voice mode was further integrated into the main chat interface in October, allowing seamless spoken interaction. July introduced “Study Mode” to promote critical thinking among students, and ChatGPT Agent for complex computer-based tasks. By October, OpenAI launched ChatGPT Atlas, an AI browser for Mac, and updated “company knowledge” for enterprise users to search workplace data across integrated tools. Shopping features were significantly enhanced with partnerships with Walmart (October) and Instant Checkout with Etsy and Shopify (September), allowing direct product purchases within ChatGPT. December also brought new controls to adjust ChatGPT’s energy, tone, emoji use, and formatting style.

OpenAI pursued aggressive strategic initiatives and partnerships. In March, discussions with Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries aimed at enhancing AI services in India, including the distribution of ChatGPT. May saw the launch of the “OpenAI for Countries” program to develop local AI infrastructure globally, and a data residency program in Asia. OpenAI also announced plans to acquire Jony Ive’s device startup, io, for $6.4 billion to enhance ChatGPT through hardware. A notable move in June was the use of Google’s AI chips to power ChatGPT, diversifying its hardware supply beyond Nvidia. August brought the launch of ChatGPT Go, an affordable subscription plan in India, later expanded to Indonesia and other Asian countries by October. December featured a $1 billion investment from Disney, granting OpenAI a one-year exclusive period to use over 200 Disney characters in Sora-created videos, although Disney also launched a lawsuit against Google for copyright infringement on the same day.

However, 2025 also presented a gauntlet of legal and ethical challenges. OpenAI faced lawsuits alleging copyright infringement from Alden Global Capital-owned newspapers and an injunction from Elon Musk to halt its transition to a for-profit entity. In November, a Munich court ruled that ChatGPT violated German copyright law by reproducing protected music lyrics. Mental health and safety concerns escalated significantly, with multiple lawsuits filed in August and November by families alleging ChatGPT contributed to teen suicides due to premature release of GPT-4o without adequate safeguards. OpenAI responded by implementing stronger detection of mental health risks, updating guidelines for users under 18, and releasing resources for parents. The company also addressed an April “bug” that allowed minors to engage in inappropriate conversations and promised fixes for model sycophancy. Data privacy was another concern, with a March privacy complaint in Europe over ChatGPT’s defamatory hallucinations and revelations that deleted Operator data might be stored for up to 90 days. Despite these challenges, OpenAI stated it had improved ChatGPT’s responses to mental health discussions by consulting over 170 experts, noting that over a million weekly users discussed such struggles with the AI.

Leadership and internal dynamics also saw shifts, with co-founder Ilya Sutskever and CTO Mira Murati exiting, and leadership updates placing Brad Lightcap in charge of global expansion and corporate partnerships. Sam Altman’s internal “code red” memo in December signaled a renewed focus on improving ChatGPT amidst rising competition, leading to some initiatives like advertising being put on the back burner. The year concluded with OpenAI emphasizing its push into the consumer health market with AI tools and exploring new AI that generates music from text and audio prompts.