History of OpenAI in Timeline

OpenAI is a San Francisco-based AI research organization focused on developing safe and beneficial artificial general intelligence (AGI). It's structured as a non-profit foundation and a for-profit public benefit corporation. OpenAI is known for its development of influential AI models, including the GPT family of large language models, DALL-E for text-to-image generation, and Sora for text-to-video generation. The release of ChatGPT in November 2022 significantly boosted public interest in generative AI technologies.

December 2015: Hiring First Employees

In December 2015, Greg Brockman hired nine AI researchers as the first employees of OpenAI.

December 2015: OpenAI Founded as a Non-Profit

In December 2015, OpenAI was founded as a not for profit organization by Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and others, with $1 billion pledged in capital.

2015: Motivations for OpenAI Founding

In 2015, Musk and Altman stated that they were partly motivated by concerns about AI safety and existential risk from artificial general intelligence when founding OpenAI.

2015: OpenAI Founded

In 2015, OpenAI was founded in Delaware with a complex corporate structure. Musk and Altman stated they were partly motivated by concerns about AI safety and existential risk from artificial general intelligence.

April 2016: OpenAI Gym Public Beta Release

In April 2016, OpenAI released a public beta of "OpenAI Gym", its platform for reinforcement learning research.

August 2016: Nvidia DGX-1 Supercomputer Gift

In August 2016, Nvidia gifted its first DGX-1 supercomputer to OpenAI to help it train larger and more complex AI models.

December 2016: Universe Software Platform Release

In December 2016, OpenAI released "Universe", a software platform for measuring and training an AI's general intelligence.

2016: Employee Expenses

In 2016, OpenAI spent $7 million on its first 52 employees.

2017: Cloud Computing Expenses

In 2017, OpenAI spent $7.9 million, a quarter of its functional expenses, on cloud computing alone.

2018: Musk resigns from Board of Directors seat

In 2018, Elon Musk resigned from his position on OpenAI's Board of Directors due to a potential future conflict of interest related to Tesla's AI development for self-driving cars. OpenAI reported that Musk's financial contributions totaled less than $45 million.

2018: Training OpenAI's Dota 2 Bots

In the summer of 2018, training OpenAI's Dota 2 bots required renting 128,000 CPUs and 256 GPUs from Google for multiple weeks.

February 2019: GPT-2 announced

In February 2019, GPT-2 was announced, and gained attention for its ability to generate human-like text.

2019: Capital collection

By 2019, OpenAI had received only $130 million of the $1 billion pledged in capital according to company disclosures.

2019: Creation of OpenAI Global, LLC

In 2019, OpenAI created OpenAI Global, LLC, a capped-profit subsidiary controlled by the nonprofit.

2019: Transition to Capped For-Profit

In 2019, OpenAI transitioned from a non-profit to a "capped" for-profit model.

December 2020: Employees leave to establish Anthropic

In December 2020, Eleven employees left OpenAI to establish Anthropic. Most of the departures happened between December 2020 and January 2021.

2020: GPT-3 announced

In 2020, OpenAI announced GPT-3, a language model trained on large internet datasets aimed at natural language answering questions, translating between languages, and generating improvised text. It also announced that an associated API, named the API, would form the heart of its first commercial product.

January 2021: Employees leave to establish Anthropic

In January 2021, Eleven employees left OpenAI to establish Anthropic. Most of the departures happened between December 2020 and January 2021.

November 2021: OpenAI outsources data annotation to Sama

In November 2021, OpenAI began outsourcing data annotation to Sama, based in San Francisco, employing workers in Kenya. These annotations were used to train an AI model to detect toxicity for moderating content from ChatGPT's training data. Sama employees described being mentally scarred by the detailed descriptions of violence.

2021: Development and Use of Whisper

In 2021, OpenAI developed a speech recognition tool called Whisper and used it to transcribe over one million hours of YouTube videos for training GPT-4, raising internal concerns about violating YouTube's terms of service.

2021: DALL-E introduced

In 2021, OpenAI introduced DALL-E, a deep learning model that generates digital images from text descriptions, using a variant of the GPT-3 architecture.

November 2022: ChatGPT Release

In November 2022, OpenAI's release of ChatGPT catalyzed widespread interest in generative AI.

December 2022: ChatGPT free preview launched

In December 2022, OpenAI launched a free preview of ChatGPT, its new AI chatbot based on GPT-3.5, receiving over a million signups within the first five days.

January 2023: Funding Talks Valuing OpenAI at $29 Billion

In January 2023, OpenAI Global, LLC was in talks for funding that would value the company at $29 billion, double its 2021 value.

January 23, 2023: Microsoft's $10 Billion Investment

On January 23, 2023, Microsoft announced a new US$10 billion investment in OpenAI Global, LLC over multiple years, partially needed to use Microsoft's cloud-computing service Azure.

February 7, 2023: Microsoft integrates AI based on ChatGPT into products

On February 7, 2023, Microsoft announced that it was building AI technology based on the same foundation as ChatGPT into Microsoft Bing, Edge, Microsoft 365 and other products.

March 3, 2023: Reid Hoffman resigned from the board

On March 3, 2023, Reid Hoffman stepped down from his board seat at OpenAI to prevent potential conflicts of interest arising from his AI investments through Greylock Partners and his co-founding of Inflection AI. However, Hoffman continued to serve on the board of Microsoft, a major OpenAI investor.

March 14, 2023: OpenAI releases GPT-4

On March 14, 2023, OpenAI released GPT-4 as an API and as a feature of ChatGPT Plus.

March 2023: Criticism over lack of technical details about GPT-4

In March 2023, OpenAI faced criticism for disclosing few technical details about products like GPT-4, conflicting with its initial commitment to openness and hindering independent research. OpenAI cited competitiveness and safety concerns, while Ilya Sutskever argued open-sourcing potent AI models was increasingly risky.

April 2023: EU Forms Task Force on ChatGPT

In April 2023, the EU's European Data Protection Board (EDPB) established a dedicated task force on ChatGPT to enhance cooperation and share information regarding potential enforcement actions carried out by data protection authorities. This decision was influenced by the enforcement action taken by the Italian data protection authority against OpenAI concerning the ChatGPT service.

May 2023: Governance Recommendations for Superintelligence Posted

In May 2023, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and Ilya Sutskever shared their recommendations for governing superintelligence, suggesting an international watchdog organization akin to the IAEA and more technical safety research.

June 2023: Lawsuit Filed Against OpenAI for Scraping Data

In June 2023, OpenAI faced a lawsuit in San Francisco, California, alleging that the company scraped 300 billion words online without consent and failed to register as a data broker. Sixteen anonymous plaintiffs claimed that OpenAI and Microsoft unlawfully collected and used personal data from millions of consumers to train AI models.

July 2023: Superalignment Project Launched

In July 2023, OpenAI initiated the superalignment project, aiming to determine how to align future superintelligent systems within four years, dedicating 20% of its computing resources to the project.

July 2023: Sarah Silverman Lawsuit

In July 2023, OpenAI was sued for copyright infringement by author Sarah Silverman.

July 2023: FTC Investigates OpenAI

In July 2023, the FTC launched an investigation into OpenAI, focusing on allegations that the company scraped public data and published false and defamatory information, raising concerns about its technology, privacy safeguards, and potential ‘circular’ spending arrangements.

August 2023: OpenAI acquires Global Illumination

In August 2023, OpenAI acquired Global Illumination, a New York-based startup specializing in AI for digital infrastructure and creative tools.

September 2023: Authors Guild Class Action Lawsuit

In September 2023, 17 authors, including George R. R. Martin and John Grisham, joined the Authors Guild in filing a class action lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging illegal use of copyrighted works.

November 6, 2023: GPTs Launch

On November 6, 2023, OpenAI launched GPTs, enabling users to create custom versions of ChatGPT for specific applications, expanding AI's potential across industries.

November 14, 2023: ChatGPT Plus New Sign-ups Suspended

On November 14, 2023, OpenAI temporarily halted new sign-ups for ChatGPT Plus subscriptions due to overwhelming demand.

November 2023: Sam Altman's Removal and Reinstatement as CEO

In November 2023, OpenAI's board removed Sam Altman as CEO, citing a lack of confidence in him, but reinstated him five days later following a reconstruction of the board.

November 17, 2023: Sam Altman removed as CEO

On November 17, 2023, Sam Altman was removed as CEO of OpenAI due to a lack of confidence from the board of directors. Mira Murati took over as interim CEO, and Greg Brockman resigned as chairman. Several senior researchers also resigned.

November 18, 2023: Talks of Altman returning as CEO

On November 18, 2023, discussions began regarding Sam Altman's potential return as CEO, spurred by investor pressure. Altman considered starting a new company if reinstatement talks failed, and board members were willing to resign if Altman returned.

November 19, 2023: Negotiations with Altman fail

On November 19, 2023, negotiations for Sam Altman's return as CEO fell through, and Emmett Shear replaced Mira Murati as interim CEO. An offer to Anthropic's CEO Dario Amodei to replace Altman and merge the companies was also declined.

November 20, 2023: Altman and Brockman to join Microsoft

On November 20, 2023, Microsoft announced that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman would join Microsoft to lead a new AI research team, while remaining committed to OpenAI. A majority of OpenAI employees threatened to quit and join Microsoft if Altman was not rehired, prompting investors to consider legal action and leading to resumed negotiations.

November 21, 2023: Altman and Brockman return to OpenAI

On November 21, 2023, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman returned to their prior roles at OpenAI after negotiations, with a reconstructed board including Bret Taylor and Lawrence Summers. Some employees had previously raised concerns about Altman's handling of AI safety implications.

November 29, 2023: Microsoft employee joins OpenAI board as observer

On November 29, 2023, OpenAI announced that an anonymous Microsoft employee had joined the board as a non-voting member to observe the company's operations.

December 2023: The New York Times Lawsuit

In late December 2023, The New York Times sued OpenAI.

2023: OpenAI revenue projection of $200 million

According to anonymous sources cited by Reuters in December 2022, OpenAI Global, LLC was projecting $200 million of revenue in 2023.

2023: Microsoft Copilot Rebranding

From September to December, 2023, Microsoft rebranded all variants of its Copilot to Microsoft Copilot, added MS-Copilot to many installations of Windows and released Microsoft Copilot mobile apps.

January 10, 2024: OpenAI criticized for lifting ban on using ChatGPT for "military and warfare"

OpenAI was criticized for lifting its ban on using ChatGPT for "military and warfare" on January 10, 2024. Its new policies prohibit "[using] our service to harm yourself or others" and to "develop or use weapons".

January 2024: Arizona State University purchases ChatGPT Enterprise

In January 2024, Arizona State University purchased ChatGPT Enterprise in OpenAI's first deal with a university.

February 2024: Copyright Lawsuit by Digital Publishers

In February 2024, The Intercept, Raw Story, and Alternate Media Inc. filed a lawsuit against OpenAI over copyright litigation, charting a new legal strategy for digital-only publishers.

February 2024: SEC subpoenas OpenAI's internal communication

In February 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission subpoenaed OpenAI's internal communications to investigate whether Sam Altman's alleged lack of candor misled investors.

February 29, 2024: Elon Musk Lawsuit

On February 29, 2024, Elon Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, accusing them of shifting focus from public benefit to profit maximization.

April 9, 2024: OpenAI Countersues Musk

On April 9, 2024, OpenAI countersued Elon Musk in federal court, alleging bad-faith tactics and seeking damages.

April 2024: NOYB Files Complaint Against OpenAI

In late April 2024, NOYB filed a complaint with the Austrian Datenschutzbehörde against OpenAI for allegedly violating the European General Data Protection Regulation. The complaint stemmed from an incident where ChatGPT provided a false date of birth for a living person and denied the individual the right to access the personal data used. OpenAI also refused to disclose the sources or recipients of ChatGPT's information.

April 30, 2024: Newspapers Sue OpenAI and Microsoft

On April 30, 2024, eight newspapers, including The Mercury News and Chicago Tribune, sued OpenAI and Microsoft in the Southern District of New York, alleging illegal harvesting of their copyrighted articles.

May 2024: Controversy over non-disparagement agreement

In May 2024, OpenAI faced criticism for requiring departing employees to sign a lifelong non-disparagement agreement, with a former employee forfeiting vested equity to leave without signing. OpenAI later released former employees from the agreement.

May 2024: Chief Scientist Resigned and Other Deals Signed

In May 2024, OpenAI's Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever resigned and was succeeded by Jakub Pachocki. Co-leader Jan Leike also departed due to safety concerns. OpenAI then signed deals with Reddit, News Corp, Axios, and Vox Media. Paul Nakasone joined the board of OpenAI.

May 2024: OpenAI Destroyed Training Datasets

In May 2024, it was revealed that OpenAI had destroyed its Books1 and Books2 training datasets used in the training of GPT-3, which the Authors Guild believed contained over 100,000 copyrighted books.

May 22, 2024: OpenAI Partners with News Corp for Content Integration

On May 22, 2024, OpenAI partnered with News Corp to integrate news content from various publications, including The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, The Times, and The Sunday Times, into its AI platform.

May 23, 2024: OpenAI Releases Former Employees from Nondisparagement Agreement

On May 23, 2024, OpenAI sent a memo releasing former employees from a lifelong non-disparagement agreement that had previously been required for departing employees, after public criticism and claims that the agreement canceled vested equity.

June 2024: Apple integrates ChatGPT features

In June 2024, Apple Inc. signed a contract with OpenAI to integrate ChatGPT features into its products as part of its new Apple Intelligence initiative.

June 2024: OpenAI acquires Multi

In June 2024, OpenAI acquired Multi, a startup focused on remote collaboration.

July 2024: Microsoft resigns from OpenAI's Board

In July 2024, Microsoft resigned from OpenAI's board after having a non-voting observer role.

August 2024: Schulman leaves, Brockman takes leave

In August 2024, OpenAI cofounder John Schulman departed OpenAI to join Anthropic, while OpenAI's president Greg Brockman commenced an extended leave of absence that lasted until November.

September 2024: Mira Murati left the company

In September 2024, CTO Mira Murati left OpenAI.

September 2024: Global Affairs Chief Endorses UK's AI Regulation

In September 2024, OpenAI's global affairs chief endorsed the UK's "smart" AI regulation during testimony to a House of Lords committee.

October 2024: $6.6 Billion Capital Raise

In October 2024, OpenAI completed a $6.6 billion capital raise with a $157 billion valuation including investments from Microsoft, Nvidia, and SoftBank.

October 2024: OpenAI's tools "essential" for AFRICOM's mission

In October 2024, The Intercept revealed that OpenAI's tools are considered "essential" for AFRICOM's mission and included in an "Exception to Fair Opportunity" contractual agreement between the United States Department of Defense and Microsoft.

October 2024: Suchir Balaji Accuses OpenAI of Copyright Violation

In October 2024, during an interview with The New York Times, Suchir Balaji accused OpenAI of violating copyright law in developing its commercial LLMs. Balaji, a former employee, was considered a potential witness in a major copyright trial against OpenAI.

November 2024: Canadian News Outlets Sue OpenAI for Copyright Infringement

In November 2024, a coalition of Canadian news outlets, including the Toronto Star, Metroland Media, Postmedia, The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Press and CBC, initiated legal action against OpenAI, accusing the company of utilizing their news articles to train its software without obtaining proper authorization.

November 26, 2024: Death of Suchir Balaji and Resulting Investigation Calls

On November 26, 2024, Suchir Balaji died by suicide. His death led to conspiracy theories suggesting he was deliberately silenced. California Congressman Ro Khanna endorsed calls for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

December 2024: OpenAI partners with Anduril to build drone defense technologies

In December 2024, OpenAI announced it would partner with defense-tech company Anduril to build drone defense technologies for the United States and its allies.

December 2024: Sora, OpenAI o1 launch, ChatGPT Pro introduction

In December 2024, OpenAI launched the Sora model and OpenAI o1 (codenamed strawberry), an early reasoning model. Additionally, ChatGPT Pro, a $200/month subscription with unlimited o1 access and enhanced voice features, was introduced, and preliminary benchmark results for the upcoming OpenAI o3 models were shared.

December 2024: Restructuring Plan Proposal

In December 2024, OpenAI proposed a restructuring plan to convert the capped-profit into a Delaware-based public benefit corporation (PBC).

2024: OpenAI revenue projection of $1 billion

According to anonymous sources cited by Reuters in December 2022, OpenAI Global, LLC was projecting $1 billion of revenue in 2024.

2024: Microsoft biggest customer of Coreweave, OpenAI and Microsoft renegotiate partnership

In 2024, Microsoft was CoreWeave's biggest customer. Alongside their other business dealings, OpenAI and Microsoft were renegotiating the terms of their partnership to facilitate a potential future initial public offering by OpenAI, while ensuring Microsoft's continued access to advanced AI models.

2024: OpenAI acquires io

In 2024, OpenAI announced the $6.5 billion acquisition of io, an AI hardware start-up founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive.

2024: OpenAI collaborates with Broadcom to design custom AI chip

In 2024, OpenAI began collaborating with Broadcom to design a custom AI chip for training and inference, aiming for mass production in 2026 by TSMC on a 3 nm process node. This initiative intends to reduce dependence on Nvidia GPUs.

2024: Employee departures from OpenAI

In 2024, following the temporary removal of Sam Altman, many employees gradually left OpenAI, including most of the original leadership team and a significant number of AI safety researchers.

2024: Revenue Update

In July 2025, the company reported annualized revenue of $12 billion. This was an increase from $3.7 billion in 2024.

2024: AI Safety Researchers Departures

Throughout 2024, roughly half of then-employed AI safety researchers left OpenAI, citing the company's prominent role in an industry-wide problem.

January 21, 2025: Announcement of The Stargate Project

On January 21, 2025, Donald Trump announced The Stargate Project, a joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle, SoftBank and MGX to build an AI infrastructure system in conjunction with the US government.

January 23, 2025: OpenAI Releases Operator

On January 23, 2025, OpenAI released Operator, an AI agent and web automation tool for accessing websites to execute goals defined by users. The feature was only available to Pro users in the United States.

February 10, 2025: Musk Consortium Unsolicited Bid to Buy OpenAI

On February 10, 2025, a consortium led by Elon Musk submitted a $97.4 billion unsolicited bid to buy the nonprofit that controls OpenAI.

February 2025: OpenAI interested in collaborating with China

In February 2025, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed interest in collaborating with China, despite U.S. regulatory restrictions, following the emergence of DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company. OpenAI enhanced security to protect proprietary techniques.

February 2025: Unsolicited Bid Rejected

In February 2025, OpenAI rejected the $97.4 billion bid stating it was not for sale.

March 2025: Advocating for Federal AI Laws

According to Oliver Roberts, in March 2025, the United States had 781 state AI bills or laws. OpenAI advocated for preempting state AI laws with federal laws, opposing California's AI legislation. Public Citizen opposed a federal preemption, citing OpenAI's growth.

March 2025: Deal with CoreWeave for AI infrastructure

In March 2025, OpenAI reached an agreement with CoreWeave, acquiring $350 million worth of CoreWeave shares and gaining access to AI infrastructure, in return for $11.9 billion to be paid over five years.

April 2025: ChatGPT Subscribers

ChatGPT subscriptions reached 20 million paid subscribers by April 2025, up from 15.5 million at the end of 2024.

April 2025: $40 Billion Raised at $300 Billion Valuation

In April 2025, OpenAI raised $40 billion at a $300 billion post-money valuation, which was the highest-value private technology deal in history.

April 24, 2025: Ziff Davis Sues OpenAI for Copyright Infringement

On April 24, 2025, Ziff Davis, a company known for publications such as ZDNet, PCMag, CNET, IGN and Lifehacker, sued OpenAI in Delaware federal court for copyright infringement.

June 2025: OpenAI rents Google Cloud TPUs

In June 2025, OpenAI began renting Google Cloud's Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) to support ChatGPT and related services, marking its first meaningful use of non‑Nvidia AI chips.

June 2025: OpenAI awarded DoD contract and announces OpenAI for Government program

In June 2025, the U.S. Department of Defense awarded OpenAI a $200 million one-year contract to develop AI tools for military and national security applications. OpenAI also announced a new program, OpenAI for Government, to give federal, state, and local governments access to its models, including ChatGPT.

July 2025: Annualized Revenue Reported

In July 2025, OpenAI reported annualized revenue of $12 billion.

July 2025: AI Models Solve Math Problems

In July 2025, it was reported that AI models from OpenAI and Google DeepMind could solve mathematics problems at the level of top-performing students in the International Mathematical Olympiad. OpenAI's model achieved gold medal-level performance, indicating a significant advance in AI reasoning.

August 1, 2025: "Share with search engines" feature removed

On August 1, 2025, OpenAI permanently removed the experimental "share with search engines" feature from ChatGPT after thousands of private conversations were inadvertently exposed to public search engines due to a design flaw, heightening privacy risks.

August 2025: Criticism over ChatGPT conversations exposed to public search engines

In August 2025, OpenAI faced criticism after thousands of private ChatGPT conversations were exposed on search engines due to a flaw in the "share with search engines" feature. Discussions, including personal details, appeared in search results, leading to privacy concerns.

August 2025: Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed Against OpenAI

In August 2025, the parents of a 16-year-old boy who died by suicide filed a wrongful death lawsuit against OpenAI (and CEO Sam Altman). The lawsuit alleged that conversations with ChatGPT about mental health and self-harm contributed to their son's death. OpenAI responded by expressing condolences and stating that they were strengthening protections, including updated crisis response behavior and parental controls.

September 2025: OpenAI to acquire Statsig and develop AI hiring service

In September 2025, OpenAI agreed to acquire the product testing startup Statsig for $1.1 billion. Statsig's CEO, Vijaye Raji, was appointed as OpenAI's CTO of applications. OpenAI also announced plans to develop an AI-driven hiring service to rival LinkedIn.

September 2025: Memorandum of understanding with NVIDIA

In September 2025, OpenAI and NVIDIA announced a memorandum of understanding that included a potential deployment of at least 10 gigawatts of NVIDIA systems and a $100 billion investment from NVIDIA in OpenAI.

September 2025: ChatGPT Usage Study Published

In September 2025, OpenAI published a study on how people use ChatGPT for everyday tasks. The study found that non-work tasks accounted for over 72 percent of all ChatGPT usage, with only a minority related to business productivity.

September 2025: Contract with Oracle for computing power

In September 2025, it was revealed that OpenAI signed a contract with Oracle to purchase $300 billion in computing power over the next five years.

October 6, 2025: OpenAI Unveils Agent Builder Platform

On October 6, 2025, OpenAI launched its Agent Builder platform at the company's DevDay event, providing a visual drag-and-drop interface for developers and businesses to design, test, and deploy agentic workflows with limited coding.

October 2025: OpenAI acquires Software Applications Incorporated

In October 2025, OpenAI acquired Software Applications Incorporated, the developer of Sky, a macOS-based natural language interface. The Sky team joined OpenAI, and the company planned to integrate Sky's capabilities into ChatGPT.

October 2025: OpenAI acquires Roi

In October 2025, OpenAI acquired the personal finance app Roi.

October 2025: Multi-billion dollar deal with AMD

In October 2025, OpenAI announced a multi-billion dollar deal with AMD to purchase six gigawatts worth of AMD chips, starting with the MI450. OpenAI will have the option to buy up to 160 million shares of AMD, about 10% of the company, depending on development, performance and share price targets.

October 2025: Employee share sale values OpenAI at $500 billion

In October 2025, OpenAI finalized an employee share sale of up to $10 billion to existing investors, valuing the company at $500 billion and surpassing SpaceX as the world's most valuable private company.

October 2025: Corporate Restructuring

In October 2025, OpenAI underwent a restructuring, approved by California and Delaware regulators, where the non-profit OpenAI Foundation held 26% of the for-profit OpenAI Group PBC, Microsoft held 27%, and employees/other investors held 47%.

October 21, 2025: ChatGPT Atlas Introduced

On October 21, 2025, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Atlas, a browser integrating the ChatGPT assistant directly into web navigation, aiming to compete with browsers like Google Chrome and Apple Safari.

October 28, 2025: Adoption of New PBC Corporate Structure

On October 28, 2025, OpenAI announced the adoption of its new PBC corporate structure, with the for-profit branch becoming OpenAI Group PBC and the non-profit renamed to the OpenAI Foundation.

November 2025: Lawrence Summers Resigns from the Board

In November 2025, Lawrence Summers resigned from his position on the board of directors at OpenAI.

November 2025: Multiple Wrongful Death Lawsuits Filed Against OpenAI

In November 2025, the Social Media Victims Law Center and Tech Justice Law Project filed seven lawsuits against OpenAI, with four alleging wrongful death. The lawsuits involved the suicides of Zane Shamblin, Amaurie Lacey, Joshua Enneking, and Joe Ceccanti, all of whom had prolonged ChatGPT usage.

December 11, 2025: GPT-5.2 Announced

On December 11, 2025, OpenAI announced GPT-5.2, which will be better at creating spreadsheets, building presentations, perceiving images, writing code, and understanding long context.

December 2025: Disney invests in OpenAI and signs licensing deal

In December 2025, Disney announced a $1 billion investment in OpenAI and signed a three-year licensing deal allowing users to generate videos using Sora, OpenAI's short-form AI video platform. Disney, Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar characters will be available to OpenAI users.

December 2025: Estate Sues OpenAI After Alleged Murder

In December 2025, Stein-Erik Soelberg allegedly murdered his mother, Suzanne Adams. Adam's estate then sued OpenAI claiming that the company shared responsibility due to the risk of chatbot psychosis. OpenAI responded saying they will make ChatGPT safer for users disconnected from reality.

December 2025: OpenAI to acquire Neptune

In December 2025, it was announced OpenAI had agreed to acquire Neptune, an AI tooling startup that helps companies track and manage model training, for an undisclosed amount.

2025: Restructuring Impact on Microsoft Ownership and Azure Deal

Following OpenAI's 2025 restructuring, Microsoft owns a 27% stake in the for-profit OpenAI Group PBC, valued at $135 billion and agreed to purchase $250 billion of Azure services.

2025: Kevin Weil becomes senior advisor in U.S. Army

In 2025, OpenAI's Chief Product Officer, Kevin Weil, was commissioned lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army to join Detachment 201 as senior advisor.

2025: Projected Operating Loss

OpenAI projects an $8 billion operating loss in 2025.

January 2026: Partnership with NVIDIA rethought

As of January 2026, the potential partnership with NVIDIA has not been realized, and the two sides are rethinking the future of their partnership.

January 2026: OpenAI acquires healthcare technology startup Torch

In January 2026, OpenAI acquired healthcare technology startup Torch for approximately $60 million. This followed the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT Health product and aimed to enhance medical data and healthcare AI capabilities.

January 27, 2026: OpenAI Introduces Prism

On January 27, 2026, OpenAI introduced Prism, a LaTeX-native workspace designed to assist scientists with research and writing. The platform utilizes GPT-5.2 as a backend to automate the process of drafting for scientific papers, including features for managing citations, complex equation formatting, and real-time collaborative editing.

2026: Target production of custom AI chip with Broadcom

In 2026, the target production of a custom AI chip designed with Broadcom is set to be mass-produced by TSMC on a 3 nm process node.

2026: Amazon explores investing in OpenAI

In early 2026, Amazon entered advanced discussions to invest up to $50 billion in OpenAI as part of a potential artificial intelligence partnership. Under the proposed agreement, OpenAI’s models could be integrated into Amazon’s digital assistant Alexa and other internal projects.