OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, confronts growing doubts after the company failed to meet its $1 billion weekly active ChatGPT user target slated for 2025, according to anonymous sources cited by the Wall Street Journal. The shortfall coincides with customers drifting to rivals such as Google’s Gemini and Anthropic’s Claude.

Financial strain tightens as CFO Sarah Friar warns that future computing contracts could be unsustainable under current growth expectations. Altman, however, dismisses suggestions to curb data‑center expansion, insisting the company must keep pace in a race where enterprise demand for AI is soaring.

The shift in strategy includes a new partnership framework with Microsoft, allowing OpenAI to offer models on other cloud providers while trimming its revenue share arrangement. Market watchers question whether this flexibility will translate into competitive advantage or simply dilute the partnership’s value.

Investors in companies linked to OpenAI, including SoftBank, saw shares dip after the report, underscoring the immediate financial impact of the company’s operational setbacks and the looming question of an IPO timeline.