OpenAI has named Dave Dugan, who recently stepped down as Meta's vice president of global clients and agencies, as its vice president of global ad solutions, reporting to chief operating officer Brad Lightcap. The hire comes as OpenAI is actively testing ads on the free and low-cost tiers of ChatGPT, seeking to monetize the vast majority of its roughly 920 million weekly active users who do not pay for the service. The move marks a significant strategic shift for CEO Sam Altman, who two years ago called advertising “a last resort” for OpenAI's business model and expressed concern that ads could erode user trust in the chatbot's responses.
