OpenAI Accelerates Shift to Business Users as Anthropic Competition Intensifies
OpenAI and Anthropic, two leading artificial intelligence firms, are navigating a challenging financial landscape as both companies report losses that exceed their revenues. OpenAI, valued at $852 billion, and Anthropic, valued at $380 billion, are increasingly focusing on business-oriented products to secure their futures in a competitive market.
OpenAI’s Chief Financial Officer, Sarah Friar, noted that the same ChatGPT chatbot that provided her with a tilapia recipe for dinner is now assisting her with routine tasks at work, such as summarizing emails and Slack messages. This shift underscores OpenAI’s strategy to pivot towards business applications while scaling back on some consumer offerings to enhance profitability.
The company plans to unveil a new AI model aimed at “high-value professional work,” responding to intensified competition from Anthropic, which is also vying for corporate clients to adopt AI solutions in their operations. Friar expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming model, indicating it will be released soon.
900 Million Users, 95% Non-Paying
OpenAI claims over 900 million weekly users of its ChatGPT product, yet approximately 95% of these users do not pay for the service. While this extensive user base fosters reliance on the platform, it also places significant strain on the costly computing resources required to support the AI systems. This situation highlights the urgent need for substantial business clients to help offset operational costs.
Both OpenAI and Anthropic are losing money, intensifying their competition to generate revenue as they prepare for potential public offerings. OpenAI’s focus on enhancing its business-oriented products has led to the discontinuation of certain consumer initiatives, such as the AI video generator app Sora. Friar acknowledged the difficult decision to pivot, emphasizing the necessity for the new model to have adequate computational resources.
Spud vs. Claude Mythos
OpenAI is developing a new model, codenamed “Spud,” which it claims will be its most advanced yet, featuring improved reasoning, intent understanding, and reliability in production. This development is part of OpenAI’s strategy to compete with Anthropic’s Claude Mythos, which has gained attention for its capabilities in cybersecurity, reportedly surpassing human experts in identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities.
When Friar joined OpenAI in 2024, business customers contributed around 20% of the company’s revenue. This figure has since increased to 40%, with expectations that it will reach 50% by the end of the year. This shift marks a significant change from late 2022, when CEO Sam Altman was promoting a now-defunct partnership with Disney and exploring advertising on ChatGPT.
Altman recently emphasized the need for a more focused approach, a sentiment echoed by Friar. She remarked that while tech companies often pursue numerous initiatives during growth phases, successful firms excel at narrowing their focus to core objectives, despite the inherent challenges.
Preparing OpenAI for Corporate Integration
Denise Dresser, the newly appointed Chief Revenue Officer and former CEO of Slack, is leading OpenAI’s efforts to position itself as the preferred platform for businesses looking to integrate AI into their operations. Dresser noted that companies are moving beyond experimentation and are now focused on utilizing AI for tangible work outcomes. She highlighted that corporate leaders recognize AI as a transformative force in their industries.
However, Anthropic’s Claude has emerged as a strong competitor, particularly among software professionals. Founded in 2021 by former OpenAI leaders, Anthropic has branded itself as a responsible AI vendor, gaining traction in the market. The company recently reported annualized revenues of $30 billion, surpassing OpenAI’s figures, although the two companies measure revenue differently. Both Friar and Dresser suggested that Anthropic’s reported revenues may be inflated due to shared revenue obligations with cloud providers like Amazon and Google.
Anthropic’s Rapid Growth
The competition between OpenAI and Anthropic is intensifying, with analysts noting that Anthropic is growing at a faster rate. Luke Emberson, a researcher at Epoch AI, indicated that if current trends continue, Anthropic may soon surpass OpenAI in market position. This urgency prompted Dresser to communicate with OpenAI employees about the competitive landscape, asserting that Anthropic’s focus on coding has given it an early advantage. However, she expressed confidence in OpenAI’s structural strengths as AI adoption expands beyond software developers.
Dresser characterized Anthropic’s narrative as one rooted in fear and restriction, asserting that OpenAI’s positive message of building powerful systems with appropriate safeguards will ultimately prevail.
Despite the competitive pressures, concerns about the financial sustainability of both companies persist. Smaller startups increasingly rely on AI tools from these firms, raising alarms about their long-term viability. Anthropic has already implemented rate limits on heavy users, causing delays in access to its services. Both companies have also introduced tiered service models that reward premium users.
Critics, including author Ed Zitron, have referred to this situation as a “subprime AI crisis,” cautioning that businesses built on these platforms may face challenges as the companies seek to cut costs. Zitron emphasized that while public offerings may provide a sense of security, the financial realities of these companies—dependent on substantial annual expenditures—remain precarious.
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Published on 2026-04-16 10:31:00 • By the Editorial Desk
