OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a text-generating AI chatbot launched in November 2022, has profoundly transformed the digital landscape, evolving from a productivity tool to a global phenomenon with a rapidly growing user base. By August 2025, the mobile app alone had generated $2 billion in global consumer spending, experiencing a 673% increase from the previous year, and the platform was on track to hit 700 million weekly active users, quadrupling its size in a single year.

The year 2024 marked significant milestones and challenges for OpenAI, including a major partnership with Apple for its generative AI offering, Apple Intelligence, and the release of GPT-4o with advanced voice capabilities. OpenAI also ventured into text-to-video with its highly-anticipated Sora model. Internally, the company faced leadership shifts, including the departures of co-founder Ilya Sutskever and CTO Mira Murati. Externally, OpenAI contended with copyright infringement lawsuits from Alden Global Capital-owned newspapers and an injunction from Elon Musk regarding its transition to a for-profit entity, underscoring ongoing legal and ethical debates surrounding AI’s impact.

As 2025 unfolded, OpenAI continued its aggressive development and expansion, while addressing critical concerns and navigating competitive pressures. The company began the year by testing phone number-only signups in the U.S. and India and introducing a new beta feature allowing users to schedule reminders and recurring tasks. ChatGPT also gained the ability to remember previous conversations and customize responses, initially for Pro and Plus users. A significant development was the launch of ChatGPT Gov for U.S. government agencies, providing enhanced security, privacy, and compliance for handling non-public sensitive data. OpenAI also launched o3-mini, a powerful and affordable