OpenAI just got into a PR headache and it all started with a simple app suggestion.
The controversy started when a customer of ChatGate’s $200 per month Pro plan shared a screenshot X suggested the Peloton app, showing it During an unrelated conversation about Elon Musk and xAI.
Naturally, users (and subsequent Internet chatter) assumed the worst: OpenAI was testing ads, even to its highest-paying customers.
The company immediately clarified that this was not a paid advertisement, but a clumsily integrated feature test. However, but Episode 184 of Artificial Intelligence Show Paul Roetzer, founder and CEO of SmarterX and the Marketing AI Institute, argued that the mistake reveals something important about OpenAI’s current operating culture.
advertising anger
The reaction started when Users focused on third-party app suggestions is popping up in their chats, according to a story from techcrunchIn the example that went viral, the interruption was jarring: a recommendation for a fitness app during a discussion about artificial intelligence,
OpenAI’s data lead for ChatGPT, Daniel McAuley, came forward to clarify the situation. he said there was “No financial component” This includes and this placement was a suggestion intended to help users find apps that integrate with ChatGPT.
However, he acknowledged that the lack of relevancy created a bad and confusing experience, the TechCrunch story said.
While the technical clarification frees OpenAI from selling advertising space (for now), the incident highlights the growing friction between the company’s rapid product development and its user experience.
Blowback from “Moving Really Fast”
To Roetzer, this is a symptom of a company that is under massive pressure.
“It’s a really, really bad look,” says Roetzer. “They’re clearly moving very fast. They’re under tremendous pressure to dramatically grow revenues, open new markets, and get the next round of funding.”
To meet these demands, OpenAI is aggressively hiring high-profile executives and pushing for rapid innovation. But Roetzer says this speed may come at the expense of cohesive strategy and oversight. Based on interviews he read with company leadership, he notes that OpenAI does not follow a traditional, rigid product roadmap.
“This is an open experiment,” Roetzer says. “There are a lot of shots on goal. And then it seems like things just bubble up and then they quickly get resources, decisions are made.
“And suddenly,” Roetzer says, “it’s in ChatGPT and people everywhere are getting shocked.”
cost of unexpected errors
The real risk here isn’t just the confusing interface; This is alienating the power users who are funding the technology.
When you’re charging premium prices, especially the $200 per month Pro tier, expectations for a superior, distraction-free experience are incredibly high. It’s similar to what you’d expect from a streaming service: A big part of Netflix’s appeal is the no ads.
Seeing an irrelevant signal that looks like Roetzer says advertising on ChatGPT is a quick way to erode trust.
“I’d be angry,” he says. “I’m paying $200 a month for Pro. I don’t want to see a completely irrelevant recommendation for an app that looks like an ad.”
He points out that this is in stark contrast to a company like Google, which has spent 25 years learning how to integrate commercial messages in ways that (usually) add value rather than subtract from it. By comparison, OpenAI is still operating like a scrappy startup despite its huge valuation.
“I don’t intend to be negative towards OpenAI here, that’s just the reality,” Roetzer says. “They’re a very big company, perhaps unlike anything we’ve seen before. And they have to figure out a lot of things very quickly.”
run fast but with intention
Roetzer estimates that we should expect more of these issues as the company moves toward revenue targets and new capabilities.
“I think they’re just making bad decisions because they’re moving so fast,” Roetzer says. “And they have this culture where they don’t have a lot of oversight about how these decisions are being made.
He added, “I don’t like to see good companies make really bad, obvious mistakes.”
