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OpenAI COO says ads will be ‘an iterative process’ Ivan Mehta 9:37 AM PST · February 25, 2026 Last month, OpenAI said that it is going to introduce ads to users of the free and Go tiers in ChatGPT . The company rolled out ads to U.S.-based users earlier this month amid criticism from rivals like Anthropic, which published a string of Super Bowl ads .
On the sidelines of the India AI summit, TechCrunch asked OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap about how the company is approaching ads. Lightcap said that the process is iterative and the company has to get user privacy and trust right.
“Well, this is going to be an iterative process for sure. This is something we are committed to getting right. What does that look like? It means obviously maintaining user trust at a very high level. It means getting privacy right,” Lightcap said.
He also noted that ads can add to the product experience of users if they are done right. He urged to give OpenAI a few months to see how the company fares in rolling out the product.
“It means really creating a delightful product experience. We think ads done right can be additive to a product experience. And so it’ll take iteration, it’ll take time, but we’re just starting out. So maybe give us a few months and see how it goes,” he said.
Lightcap didn’t specify if the company is thinking about rolling out ads beyond the U.S. market at the moment.
Earlier this month, Sam Altman hit back at Anthropic with a long post on X about the Super Bowl ads, calling the OpenAI rival “dishonest” and accusing them of making an expensive product that serves “rich people.”
Techcrunch event Save up to $300 or 30% to TechCrunch Founder Summit 1,000+ founders and investors come together at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 for a full day focused on growth, execution, and real-world scaling. Learn from founders and investors who have shaped the industry. Connect with peers navigating similar growth stages. Walk away with tactics you can apply immediately. Offer ends March 13. Save up to $300 or 30% to TechCrunch Founder Summit 1,000+ founders and investors come together at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 for a full day focused on growth, execution, and real-world scaling. Learn from founders and investors who have shaped the industry. Connect with peers navigating similar growth stages. Walk away with tactics you can apply immediately Offer ends March 13. Boston, MA | June 9, 2026 REGISTER NOW “More importantly, we believe everyone deserves to use AI and are committed to free access, because we believe access creates agency. More Texans use ChatGPT for free than the total number of people who use Claude in the US, so we have a differently-shaped problem than they do,” Altman wrote.
Various outlets have reported that OpenAI is charging $60 for 1,000 impressions, an unusually high rate. Last month, Adweek noted that OpenAI is asking for $200,000 of minimum commitment from advertisers. Earlier this week, The Information reported that Shopify is allowing its merchants to advertise on ChatGPT through its Shop Campaigns ad network, joining early testers like Target, Williams Sonoma, and Adobe.
Ivan Mehta Ivan covers global consumer tech developments at TechCrunch. He is based out of India and has previously worked at publications including Huffington Post and The Next Web.
You can contact or verify outreach from Ivan by emailing im@ivanmehta.com or via encrypted message at ivan.42 on Signal.
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