Tech
tech
Jon Keegan

OpenAI eyes 220 million paid subscribers by 2030, The Information reports

OpenAI is scrambling to figure out how to generate enough steady revenue to turn the expensive AI services it offers into profits, as it spends dizzying sums on the infrastructure needed to scale its business to the expected demand.

It appears that for now, the company's solution comes straight from the old, reliable Big Tech playbook: turn free users into paying subscribers.

According to The Information, OpenAI is projecting that it can ramp up to about 220 million paid subscribers by 2030.

The company currently has about 800 million users, with 35 million of them paying for Plus or Pro subscriptions, at either $20 or $200 per month, per the report. OpenAI thinks that in five years it will have 8.5% of its projected 2.6 billion weekly active users paying for a Plus plan, or about 220 million people, The Information reports.

That would put ChatGPT in the same league as Spotify (281 million subscribers in September 2025), and Netflix (302 million subscribers in December 2024).

OpenAI Forecasts Nearly as Many ChatGPT Subscribers as Spotify by 2030

OpenAI Forecasts Nearly as Many ChatGPT Subscribers as Spotify by 2030

According to The Information, OpenAI is projecting that it can ramp up to about 220 million paid subscribers by 2030.

The company currently has about 800 million users, with 35 million of them paying for Plus or Pro subscriptions, at either $20 or $200 per month, per the report. OpenAI thinks that in five years it will have 8.5% of its projected 2.6 billion weekly active users paying for a Plus plan, or about 220 million people, The Information reports.

That would put ChatGPT in the same league as Spotify (281 million subscribers in September 2025), and Netflix (302 million subscribers in December 2024).

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Jon Keegan

Apple to beat Samsung in smartphone shipments for first time in 14 years

Thanks to Apple’s popular iPhone 17, the company is on track to ship more smartphones than rival Samsung for the first time in 14 years, according to a report from CNBC.

Counterpoint Research projects that Apple will ship about 243 million phones to retailers this year, capturing 19.4% of the global market.

Samsung will come in just behind Apple, with 235 million phones shipped, giving it an 18.7% global market share, per the report.

A favorable upgrade cycle, plus an expected lower-cost entry-level iPhone next year, are among the factors expected to keep Apple in the lead for the next few years.

Apple iPhone shipments to beat Samsung for the first time in 14 years, report says

Apple iPhone shipments to beat Samsung for the first time in 14 years, report says

Samsung will come in just behind Apple, with 235 million phones shipped, giving it an 18.7% global market share, per the report.

A favorable upgrade cycle, plus an expected lower-cost entry-level iPhone next year, are among the factors expected to keep Apple in the lead for the next few years.

tech
Rani Molla

Bitcoin’s plunge could hurt Tesla’s bottom line

Sometimes bitcoin giveth, but lately it’s been taking away from Tesla.

A new accounting rule that took effect earlier this year requires Tesla to include unrealized gains and losses on its bitcoin holdings in its quarterly results. According to analyst Troy Teslike, Tesla is facing an unrealized loss of more than $300 million in the fourth quarter on its 11,509 bitcoin, thanks to bitcoin’s recent plunge. That would reduce its GAAP earnings per share by about $0.10. If bitcoin plummets further, say to $60,000, that unrealized loss could grow to more than $600 million, with a -$0.19 impact on EPS.

For context, the FactSet analyst consensus for Tesla’s net income in Q4 is penciled in at $1.6 billion with GAAP EPS of $0.37, so additional losses would represent a big earnings headwind. For a company already navigating margin pressure, bitcoin’s volatility adds one more wild card to the mix.

Tom Jones
out of character
11/25/25
Teens are upset that they can’t speak to Character.AI chatbots anymore

The platform has restricted access for those under 18, as concerns around the tech’s impact grow.

Chatbot speech bubbles
tech
Rani Molla

Elon Musk: We’ve tried to license Tesla’s FSD technology to legacy automakers but “they don’t want it”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly said his company is open to licensing its Full Self-Driving technology to major automakers so that they could potentially make their own fleets drive themselves. Now, Musk is saying that those automakers aren’t interested.

“I’ve tried to warn them and even offered to license Tesla FSD, but they don’t want it! ” Musk posted on X.

While the post is presumably meant to convey that the auto industry is out of touch and behind the times, it also suggests an anticipated future revenue source for Tesla so far isn’t panning out.

Elon Musk on X: "@LewisWithrow5 @SawyerMerritt I’ve tried to warn them and even offered to license Tesla FSD, but they don’t want it!

Elon Musk on X: "@LewisWithrow5 @SawyerMerritt I’ve tried to warn them and even offered to license Tesla FSD, but they don’t want it! Crazy … When legacy auto does occasionally reach out, they tepidly discuss implementing FSD for a tiny program in 5 years with unworkable requirements for Tesla, so pointless. 🤷‍♂️ 🦕 🦕" / X

While the post is presumably meant to convey that the auto industry is out of touch and behind the times, it also suggests an anticipated future revenue source for Tesla so far isn’t panning out.

tech
Jon Keegan

Apple cuts sales jobs in rare layoff

Apple is cutting “dozens” of roles from its sales team in a rare layoff, according to a report from Bloomberg. The reductions are aimed at streamlining the company’s sales to businesses, schools, and government accounts, per the report.

Apple rarely turns to layoffs, compared to its tech peers, making the reduction noteworthy.

An Apple spokesperson told Bloomberg: “To connect with even more customers, we are making some changes in our sales team that affect a small number of roles,” and that the employees will be able to apply for new roles in the company.

Apple Cuts Jobs Across Its Sales Organization in Rare Layoff

Apple Cuts Jobs Across Its Sales Organization in Rare Layoff

An Apple spokesperson told Bloomberg: “To connect with even more customers, we are making some changes in our sales team that affect a small number of roles,” and that the employees will be able to apply for new roles in the company.

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