OpenAI targets “practical adoption” for 2026 strategy
OpenAI will prioritize the “practical adoption” of artificial intelligence in 2026, according to CFO Sarah Friar. The company reported more than $20 billion in annualized revenue in 2025.
Friar stated in a recent blog post that closing the gap between AI capabilities and daily usage by individuals, companies, and countries is a priority. She identified health, science, and enterprise as immediate and significant opportunities where improved intelligence directly translates to better outcomes.
Business spending on OpenAI models reached a record high in December, surpassing competitors Anthropic and Google, according to data from Ramp. OpenAI has announced approximately $1.4 trillion in infrastructure deals, including data centers, over the past year.
OpenAI recently announced it would begin testing advertising, a move CEO Sam Altman previously described as a “last resort.”
Friar addressed financial concerns, stating that revenue growth has synchronized with compute availability. Compute expanded from 0.2 gigawatts in 2023 to about 1.9 GW last year, while annualized revenue grew from $2 billion to more than $20 billion during the same period. Friar asserted that more compute would have led to faster customer adoption and monetization.