- OpenAI reported an operating margin of minus 122 percent in the first quarter of 2026, indicating that for every dollar earned, the company lost $1.22 even after removing stock-based compensation.
- This significant loss is attributed to rapid growth driven by services such as the Codex coding agent, enterprise sales, and early ad tests within ChatGPT. Despite these efforts, OpenAI fell short of its one-billion weekly user target for ChatGPT.
The stark financial disparity between OpenAI and Anthropic underscores the challenges facing AI startups in generating sustainable revenue streams. While both companies are eyeing potential IPOs around Q4, Anthropic’s robust growth trajectory suggests it may have a firmer foothold in the market.
Originally published at the-decoder.com. Curated by AI Maestro.
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