By early October 2026, ChatGPT Ads had reached approximately 60,000 advertisers, according to New Street Research and reporting in The Information—roughly triple the figure cited for late August. OpenAI’s advertising team has grown to about 140 people, with a large share of recent hires from Meta, and the company has cut prices while expanding self-serve access. Marketing and performance teams should decide this week whether to allocate a small test budget and confirm conversion measurement, because the window of lower CPMs is unlikely to last indefinitely.
Reporting in mid-October 2026 put the number of businesses advertising on ChatGPT at about 60,000, up from roughly 20,000 in late August. Brand, performance, and media teams should care because OpenAI has simultaneously lowered prices, expanded self-serve tools, and staffed a sales organization that now looks more like a scaled ad platform than a pilot.
- What changed? Advertiser count reached approximately 60,000 by early October (New Street Research / The Information), up from about 20,000 in late August. The ad team stands at roughly 140 employees; nearly half joined in Q3, with Meta the largest source of talent. Annualized ad revenue hit a $1 billion run rate by late August.
- When? Figures reported around October 9–16, 2026, based on data through early October. Self-serve Ads Manager opened more broadly earlier in the year; a new visual ad format and expanded measurement partners were announced in early October.
- Who is affected? Performance marketers, brand teams testing AI surfaces, agencies managing media plans, and e-commerce operators comparing ChatGPT CPCs with search and social.
- What to do this week? If you have not tested, set a small, measured pilot with clear conversion tracking. If you are already live, review CPC and CPA against your search and Meta benchmarks and confirm that the new measurement integrations (AppsFlyer, others) are feeding your attribution stack.
What numbers were reported?
New Street Research analyst Dan Salmon and subsequent coverage in The Information stated that the advertiser count on ChatGPT reached approximately 60,000 by early October, up from more than 20,000 in late August. OpenAI’s advertising organization now numbers about 140 people; Crustdata and other trackers indicate that close to half of those employees joined between July and September, with Meta the single largest prior employer. Dave Dugan, who spent more than a decade at Meta, leads global ad solutions and has reorganized the team into industry verticals. OpenAI has said that ad revenue reached a $1 billion annualized run rate by late August. The company has also indicated it is likely to miss an earlier internal projection of roughly $2.4 billion in ad revenue for calendar 2026. Sensor Tower estimates have pointed to strong month-over-month growth in U.S. ChatGPT ad spend in October.
How is the product changing?
OpenAI has moved from a limited pilot (launched around February 2026 with higher minimums) to broader self-serve access, cost-per-click bidding, and lower prices aimed at small and medium businesses. One agency founder cited in coverage said some business-software clients were seeing ChatGPT clicks around $5 versus $30–$50 on Google, though results vary. In early October the company introduced a new visual ad format and expanded measurement partnerships that include AppsFlyer, Triple Whale, Adjust, and others, plus conversion-data integrations with Hightouch, Tealium, and LiveRamp. The platform is now available in more than 60 countries. These changes make ChatGPT Ads look more like a standard performance channel and less like a one-off experiment.
Why does the growth rate matter?
Tripling the advertiser base in roughly six weeks while cutting prices is a classic land-grab pattern. Early advertisers often receive better inventory and lower CPMs before competition intensifies. At the same time, the rapid hiring of Meta-trained sellers and the reorganization into vertical teams signal that OpenAI intends to compete for performance budgets, not merely brand experiments. Marketing teams that wait for “maturity” may find that the most efficient test windows have already closed. Conversely, teams that move without measurement infrastructure risk attributing results incorrectly and drawing the wrong conclusion about the channel.
What should marketing operators do this week?
Decide on a test or no-test posture by Friday. If testing, allocate a modest budget (enough for statistical signal but not material to the quarterly plan), set a clear primary KPI (CPA, ROAS, or assisted conversions), and confirm that the ChatGPT pixel or Conversions API is firing into your existing attribution platform. Compare early CPCs and conversion rates against your current search and social benchmarks rather than against an absolute target. If you already advertise, pull the last 14 days of data, check whether the new measurement partners are connected, and review creative performance on the visual formats announced earlier this month. Document the decision so media and finance can see the rationale.
What to watch next?
Watch for OpenAI’s next advertiser-count or revenue disclosure, any further price changes, and the pace of agency joint-business-plan announcements. Also watch whether large holding companies begin to treat ChatGPT as a standard line item in annual media plans. On the competitive side, note how Google and Meta respond with their own AI-surface ad products. For most brands the practical next checkpoint is the end of the current quarter, when test results can be compared with the rest of the paid mix.
FAQ
How many advertisers are on ChatGPT Ads?
Approximately 60,000 by early October 2026, according to New Street Research and The Information, up from about 20,000 in late August.
Is the ad business profitable for OpenAI?
Reporting indicates a $1 billion annualized run rate by late August, but also that the company is likely to miss an earlier $2.4 billion full-year target. Profitability at the unit level has not been disclosed.
Are prices lower than search?
Some agency commentary cites materially lower CPCs for certain categories, but results vary by vertical and creative. Treat early anecdotes as directional only.
Do I need an agency to start?
Self-serve access has expanded. Many mid-market advertisers can begin without a holding-company relationship, though measurement setup still requires care.
What measurement tools are available?
OpenAI has announced integrations with AppsFlyer, Triple Whale, Adjust, and others, plus conversion-data connectors. Confirm which are live in your region before relying on them.
Son Güncelleme / Last Updated: October 17, 2026.
Related: Amazon Brings Advertising to ChatGPT · Marketing Department Hub
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