OpenAI crossed $10 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time in the third quarter of 2026, according to reports on an investor presentation the company gave on Tuesday. That is an increase of roughly 50% from the $6.7 billion OpenAI reportedly booked in the second quarter.
Losses grew alongside sales. OpenAI's operating loss widened from $10.1 billion in the second quarter to $10.9 billion in the third, according to the reports. The adjusted operating margin moved the other way, improving from -150% to -109%.
The quarter marks a sharp acceleration. Revenue grew about 18% between the first and second quarters, rising from $5.7 billion to $6.7 billion, before the roughly 50% jump into the third quarter.
Key facts
- 01OpenAI's Q3 2026 revenue crossed $10 billion for the first time, up about 50% from $6.7 billion in Q2.
- 02Operating losses grew from $10.1 billion in Q2 to $10.9 billion in Q3.
- 03Adjusted operating margin improved from -150% to -109% quarter over quarter.
- 04ChatGPT's paying base reached about 100 million, or 8.5% of weekly active users.
- 05Anthropic reported Q3 revenue of $17 billion with a $567 million operating loss.
OpenAI has reached an annual revenue run rate of $50 billion, according to the reporting. The company has said it has more than a billion users.
Subscriptions remain a small slice of that audience. ChatGPT's paying customer base rose to about 100 million, or 8.5% of total weekly active users, up slightly from the second quarter. OpenAI introduced advertising in ChatGPT earlier this year, and results for the ad business were not broken out.
OpenAI has also been widening its product lineup. Last month it released GPT-6.1 Terra, priced 50% below two other models in its lineup and aimed at high-volume work such as invoice processing and data entry. It has also started a ChatGPT Work offering for financial services, beginning with investment banking and equity research, and this week added tools for businesses to manage their presence and deploy agents inside ChatGPT.
The numbers arrive as Anthropic prepares its initial public offering. Anthropic reported third-quarter revenue of $17 billion with an operating loss of $567 million, and said its annual run rate rose by $10 billion within a month to $81 billion as of the end of October. The two companies calculate annualized revenue differently.
OpenAI is aiming to go public in 2027. The third-quarter figures were reported from investor materials, and OpenAI has not published them itself.
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