OpenAI now pushes on three fronts at once. It wants deeper daily use, more paid users, and a much larger ad business. It’s Hiro deal, new $100 ChatGPT Pro option, and expanding ad tests all point to the same goal. OpenAI wants ChatGPT to sit closer to personal decisions, work tasks, and buying choices every day.
Hiro built an AI personal finance product that lets users enter salary, debt, and monthly costs, then test what-if scenarios before making money decisions. Ethan Bloch said Hiro helped clients plan for and manage more than $1 billion in assets.
OpenAI did not replace its $200 Pro plan. It added a new $100 Pro option between Plus and the top Pro tier. The company says the new tier targets people who use advanced tools and models on real projects throughout the week.
The new $100 Pro option gives users 5 times higher limits than Plus. OpenAI also says it includes Pro models, Codex, deep research, image creation, memory, and file uploads. The $200 Pro tier stays in place for heavier use.
This pricing structure says a lot about how OpenAI now sees ChatGPT. It no longer sells one premium upgrade for everyone. It now splits users into lighter users, serious weekly users, and heavy professional users.
Ads move into ChatGPT, and trust becomes the real test
OpenAI has also moved ads closer to the core product. Reuters reports that OpenAI started showing ads in ChatGPT to some U.S. users in January. Reuters later reported that the company planned to expand ads to all free and Go users in the United States. OpenAI also added Criteo to the ad pilot to help with buying and targeting.
The revenue targets show how serious that push has become. Reuters, citing Axios, says OpenAI expects $2.5 billion in ad revenue in 2026 and as much as $100 billion a year by 2030. The same report says OpenAI told investors to expect ad revenue to rise to $11 billion in 2027, $25 billion in 2028, and $53 billion in 2029. Reuters also says OpenAI did not respond to its request for comment on that investor presentation report.
Ads inside a chat product carry a bigger trust burden than ads in search or social feeds. People use ChatGPT for planning, summaries, personal guidance, and work support. That makes ad placement more sensitive. Reuters says analysts warn that ads in ChatGPT can annoy users and hurt trust. OpenAI says it has not seen damage to trust metrics and says users show low dismissal rates so far. On its own strategy page, OpenAI says monetization should feel native to the product and stay clearly labelled and useful.
One product with three ways to grow
OpenAI now builds ChatGPT around three clear business lines. It sells subscriptions to individuals and teams. It charges developers and companies through its API business. It also runs a free tier backed by ads and commerce. OpenAI says all of those lines should grow as users depend on AI more often for real work and real decisions.
The Hiro deal fits that plan because personal finance keeps users close to high-value questions. The $100 Pro tier fits because serious users want more capacity without jumping straight to $200. Ads fit because free users still bring scale, shopping intent, and space for paid placements. Each move supports the same aim. OpenAI wants ChatGPT to become a daily tool people keep open, not a novelty they visit once in a while.
For the wider tech industry, the message looks direct. The next AI fight will not rest on model quality alone. It will rest on who owns the user relationship when people plan spending, compare products, do office work, and make choices. OpenAI wants that spot, and its latest moves show focus, not drift.
The AI market now rewards habit, trust, and clear value. Finance brings depth. A mid-priced Pro tier brings reach. Ads bring scale, as long as the product stays useful and honest. If OpenAI keeps that balance, ChatGPT will hold a stronger place in everyday digital life.
