OpenAI CFO reports 70% growth as enterprise demand doubles

A balanced revenue model

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar recently shared that the company has reached a significant milestone in its business structure. During the third quarter, the enterprise side of the business doubled, creating a balanced model where revenue is split evenly between enterprises and consumers. This shift suggests that corporate adoption is accelerating as quickly as individual use.

The company currently serves 1.2 billion people across the globe every week. Friar noted that these users are engaging with the platform for specific needs, such as 300 million people seeking health and wellness information and 200 million people looking for personal finance help. This diverse user base provides a stable foundation for the company's long-term goals.

Despite some recent market volatility, Friar expressed confidence in the company's momentum heading into 2027. She highlighted that the growth in the enterprise sector is a clear indicator that people are finding tangible value in AI tools. The company is now positioned as a unified platform that serves everyone from small businesses to global corporations like J.P. Morgan Chase.

Enterprise and cyber growth

The doubling of the enterprise business is being driven by several key areas, including coding and cybersecurity. OpenAI recently launched GPT-6 Cyber to help organizations defend against increasingly capable cyber threats. Friar explained that the company is focused on putting the best tools in the hands of defenders to protect the internet's underlying infrastructure.

The company has already demonstrated its impact in these areas by working with defenders to fix flaws in PHP. By addressing these vulnerabilities before they were publicly announced, OpenAI helped secure 70 percent of the internet. This proactive approach to security is a major draw for large corporations that require high-level protection for their data and operations.

Additionally, the company is expanding its agentic tools, such as ChatGPT Work and the Dots assistant. Uber, for example, began with 1,000 employees using the tool and is now rolling it out to 30,000 people. These proactive virtual assistants are designed to handle complex tasks for every person within an organization, further embedding OpenAI into the corporate workflow.

Infrastructure and community

As OpenAI expands, it faces challenges regarding the physical infrastructure required to power its models. Friar addressed concerns about data centers, specifically regarding electricity, water, and noise. The company has promised that it will never raise electricity bills for local communities and is instead looking to invest in upgrading the power grid.

Regarding water usage, Friar described the footprint of a large data center as roughly the size of two Olympic swimming pools. She noted that most of the water used in these facilities is for the people working there, rather than the cooling systems. To address noise concerns, the company has proposed building 300-foot-high berms around some data center sites to muffle sound.

The company is also attempting to build better relationships with local communities through direct investment. In Georgia, for instance, OpenAI has invested in free school lunches, which resulted in a 70 percent lift in kids eating breakfast and lunch. These grassroots efforts are intended to create a more positive feedback loop with the communities where their infrastructure is located.

Ads and future valuation

OpenAI is also diversifying its revenue streams by entering the advertising market. The company launched its first ads in early 2026 and reached a billion-dollar run rate in under 200 days. Friar attributed this success to the high personal context users provide when they come to ChatGPT to get specific tasks done, which creates a high-value environment for advertisers.

This new ad business represents a significant tailwind for the company because it offers high gross margins. By capturing a portion of the queries that typically go to search engines, OpenAI is unlocking a new total addressable market. Friar believes this will be a major driver of growth as the company continues to scale its consumer presence.

On the funding front, OpenAI is currently in a capital raising round with a $1.25 billion pre-money valuation. While this figure was lower than some earlier reports, Friar noted it represents a 50 percent lift from the round closed in March. She remains confident in this valuation as a reflection of the company's Q3 momentum and its ability to build a durable, strong business.