Hajra Naz
Key Takeaways
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OpenAI is prioritizing practical adoption of AI in 2026.
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Immediate focus is on health, science, and enterprise applications.
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Revenue skyrocketed from $2B in 2023 to $20B in 2025, supported by expanded compute.
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The company is exploring ads as a potential new revenue stream.
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Critics remain concerned about profitability and massive infrastructure spending.
OpenAI is setting its sights on practical adoption of artificial intelligence in 2026, according to CFO Sarah Friar. The goal, she says, is to bridge the gap between what AI can do today and how people, businesses, and governments actually use it.
Focus on Health, Science, and Enterprise
Friar highlighted that OpenAI sees immediate opportunities in sectors where AI can have a real-world impact, including healthcare, scientific research, and enterprise applications. In these areas, better intelligence can directly translate into better outcomes.
Evidence suggests the startup is already capitalizing on these opportunities. According to data from Ramp, business spending on OpenAI models surged to record levels in December, outpacing rivals such as Anthropic and Google.
Read More: OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Health as 230M Users Ask about Health Each Week
Explosive Revenue Growth
OpenAI’s financial growth has been impressive. Friar revealed that the company generated more than $20 billion in annualized revenue in 2025, up from $2 billion in 2023.
This growth has gone hand in hand with increased computational capacity: OpenAI expanded its compute from 0.2 gigawatts in 2023 to 1.9 gigawatts in 2025. Friar noted that “more compute during these periods would have led to faster customer adoption and monetization,” describing the revenue jump as “never-before-seen growth at such scale.”
Financial Concerns and Investor Skepticism
Despite these results, some investors and analysts remain cautious. OpenAI has committed heavily to infrastructure, announcing roughly $1.4 trillion in deals, including new data centers, over the past year. Questions persist about whether the company can sustain profitability in the long term.
One potential new revenue stream is advertising. OpenAI announced last Friday that it will begin testing ads, a move that CEO Sam Altman previously called a “last resort,” though industry observers have anticipated it for months.
Read More: OpenAI Could Make $25B in Ads by 2030—A Threat to Google, Analysts Warn
Public Reactions
Not everyone is impressed by Friar’s blog post. Tech blogger Paul Kedrosky commented on Monday:
“Amusing reading from OpenAI CFO bragging that they are successfully selling dollars for $0.70 in huge volume.”
The debate highlights the tension between rapid growth and skepticism about long-term financial sustainability, even as OpenAI doubles down on practical adoption in the coming year.
