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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed that his company has grown to 800 million weekly active users and is experiencing “unbelievable” growth rates, during a sometimes tense interview at the TED 2025 conference in Vancouver last week.
“I have never seen growth in any company, one that I’ve been involved with or not, like this,” Altman told TED head Chris Anderson during their on-stage conversation. “The growth of ChatGPT — it is really fun. I feel deeply honored. But it is crazy to live through, and our teams are exhausted and stressed.”
The interview, which closed out the final day of TED 2025: Humanity Reimagined, showcased not just OpenAI’s skyrocketing success but also the increasing scrutiny the company faces as its technology transforms society at a pace that alarms even some of its supporters.
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‘Our GPUs are melting’: OpenAI struggles to scale amid unprecedented demand
Altman painted a picture of a company struggling to keep up with its own success, noting that OpenAI’s GPUs are “melting” due to the popularity of its new image generation features. “All day long, I call people and beg them to give us their GPUs. We are so incredibly constrained,” he said.
This exponential growth comes as OpenAI is reportedly considering launching its own social network to compete with Elon Musk’s X, according to CNBC. Altman neither confirmed nor denied these reports during the TED interview.
The company recently closed a $40 billion funding round, valuing it at $300 billion — the largest private tech funding in history — and this influx of capital will likely help address some of these infrastructure challenges.
From non-profit to $300 billion giant: Altman responds to ‘Ring of Power’ accusations
Throughout the 47-minute conversation, Anderson repeatedly pressed Altman on OpenAI’s transformation from a non-profit research lab to a for-profit company with a $300 billion valuation. Anderson voiced concerns shared by critics, including Elon Musk, who has suggested Altman has been “corrupted by the Ring of Power,” referencing “The Lord of the Rings.”
Altman defended OpenAI’s path: “Our goal is to make AGI and distribute it, make it safe for the broad benefit of humanity. I think by all accounts, we have done a lot in that direction. Clearly, our tactics have shifted over time… We didn’t think we would have to build a company around this. We learned a lot about how it goes and the realities of what these systems were going to take from capital.”
When asked how he personally handles the enormous power he now wields, Altman responded: “Shockingly, the same as before. I think you can get used to anything step by step… You’re the same person. I’m sure I’m not in all sorts of ways, but I don’t feel any different.”
‘Divvying up revenue’: OpenAI plans to pay artists whose styles are used by AI
One of the most concrete policy announcements from the interview was Altman’s acknowledgment that OpenAI is working on a system to com …