OpenAI released new data on Monday showing a dramatic surge in enterprise usage of its AI tools over the past year. ChatGPT message volume has grown eightfold since November 2024. Workers report saving up to an hour daily through these tools. This report comes one week after CEO Sam Altman sent an internal “code red” memo warning of the competitive threat from Google. The release highlights OpenAI’s efforts to position itself as the leader in enterprise AI amid increasing pressures.
Nearly 36 percent of U.S. businesses use ChatGPT Enterprise, according to the Ramp AI Index. This compares to 14.3 percent for Anthropic. Despite this enterprise growth, most of OpenAI’s revenue continues to come from consumer subscriptions. Google’s Gemini poses a threat to that consumer base. OpenAI faces competition from Anthropic, which relies mainly on business-to-business sales. Open-weight model providers also vie for enterprise customers.
OpenAI has committed $1.4 trillion to infrastructure over the next few years. This makes enterprise expansion critical to the company’s business model. During a briefing, OpenAI’s chief economist Ronnie Chatterji discussed economic impacts. “If you think about it from an economic growth perspective, consumers really matter,” Chatterji said. “But when you look at historically transformative technologies like the steam engine, it’s when firms adopt and scale these technologies that you really see the biggest economic benefits.”
The data indicates deeper integration of OpenAI’s tools into enterprise workflows. Organizations using OpenAI’s API, its developer interface, now consume 320 times more “reasoning tokens” than a year ago. This suggests use for complex problem-solving. It could also reflect heavy experimentation without long-term value. Reasoning tokens link to higher energy usage, which may raise costs for companies. TechCrunch asked OpenAI about how enterprises allocate budgets for AI and the sustainability of this growth rate.
Companies deploy OpenAI’s tools in new ways. Use of custom GPTs has increased 19 times this year. These custom GPTs now make up 20 percent of enterprise messages. Custom GPTs allow companies to embed institutional knowledge into assistants or automate workflows. OpenAI cited digital bank BBVA as an example. BBVA uses more than 4,000 custom GPTs regularly.
Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s chief operating officer, addressed this during the briefing. “It shows you how much people are really able to take this powerful technology and start to customize it to the things that are useful to them,” Lightcap said. Users report saving 40 to 60 minutes per day with OpenAI’s enterprise products. This figure does not account for time spent learning the systems, crafting prompts, or fixing AI outputs.
Enterprise workers use AI to build new skills. Three-quarters of surveyed workers say AI lets them perform tasks, including technical ones, that they could not do before. OpenAI noted a 36 percent rise in coding-related messages from outside engineering, IT, and research teams. This spread of coding could create more security vulnerabilities and errors. Lightcap referenced OpenAI’s agentic security researcher Aardvark. Aardvark, in private beta, detects bugs, vulnerabilities, and exploits.
Even top ChatGPT Enterprise users do not fully engage advanced features like data analysis, reasoning, or search. Lightcap explained this during the briefing. He said full adoption requires a shift in mindset and tighter links to enterprise data and processes. Companies need to adjust workflows to grasp AI’s potential. This process will take time.
The report points to a divide in AI adoption across enterprises. “Frontier” workers use more tools more frequently and save more time than “laggards.” Lightcap described the differences. “There are firms that still very much see these systems as a piece of software, something I can buy and give to my teams and that’s kind of the end of it,” he said. “And then there are companies that are really starting to embrace it, almost more like an operating system. It’s basically a re-platforming of a lot of the company’s operations.”
OpenAI’s leadership views this gap as a chance for slower adopters to advance. The company faces pressure from its $1.4 trillion infrastructure commitments. For workers who train AI to handle their tasks, catching up may resemble a countdown.
The enterprise data release emphasizes OpenAI’s focus on business users. Message volume growth reflects broader adoption. Time savings reports come from participants in OpenAI’s studies. The 36 percent U.S. business figure stems from the Ramp AI Index. Anthropic’s 14.3 percent provides context for market position.
Consumer subscriptions remain the primary revenue source. Google’s Gemini competes directly in that area. Anthropic’s B2B focus challenges OpenAI in sales to businesses. Open-weight models attract enterprises seeking alternatives.
