OpenAI posted a job listing that referenced building a publisher-facing ad business, but then removed the verbiage after CMO Insider inquired about it. The job posting originally said the responsibilities would include “inventory setup, ad serving integrations, reporting, and yield-impacting issues,” and that the person would be required to “design and continuously improve support coverage for both ad buyers and publishers.”
An advertising business that extends beyond selling ChatGPT ads could help the company reach its ambitious ad revenue goals, while simultaneously solving advertiser complaints that OpenAI can't spend their budgets fast enough, despite asking for large upfront financial commitments to participate in early ad trials. OpenAI has projected that it'll hit $2.5B in ad revenue this year and $100B annually by 2030, but it can only interject so many ads in ChatGPT before degrading the experience, so it makes sense to look for outside real estate.
What could an OpenAI ad network look like? Business Insider writes:
“The most obvious move for OpenAI would be to enter the world of ‘demand extension' or ‘audience extension.' OpenAI could take growing advertiser demand and extend those campaigns to placements on a network of external websites or apps. Publishers would be able to monetize their own traffic using the commercial signals gathered by ChatGPT.”
Business Insider also notes that a sell-side ad product could change OpenAI's relationship with publishers by enabling them to offer a form of revenue beyond licensing deals.
OpenAI denied that it's building a publisher-facing ad business and claimed that the role covers agencies and brands. However, at one point, OpenAI denied that they would sell ads on ChatGPT, so you've got to put as much faith in their statement as you do a ChatGPT answer.
