OpenAI's finance chief just dropped some hints about how the company plans to make more money

OpenAI's Chief Financial Officer, Sarah Friar, recently shared insights on potential avenues for increasing the company's revenue beyond its current ChatGPT subscription model. During a recent episode of "The OpenAI Podcast," she introduced the concept of "licensing models." This approach could enable OpenAI to earn a portion of sales from successful products developed by their clients using OpenAI technology. For example, in the realm of drug discovery, Friar mentioned that if a client licenses OpenAI's technology and subsequently achieves a breakthrough, the company could receive a share of the sales generated by that drug. "It's great alignment for us with our customer," she explained, highlighting the mutual benefits of such a partnership. As OpenAI continues to explore various business models, Friar noted a significant evolution from their initial offering, which started with a single subscription plan for ChatGPT. The company has since introduced multiple pricing tiers, including software-as-a-service (SaaS) options and credit-based pricing for customers seeking enhanced services. While discussing potential ventures into commerce and advertising, Friar emphasized that any product should prioritize delivering the best answers over sponsored content, and she assured that an ad-free option would remain available. Recently, OpenAI also announced plans to test advertisements within ChatGPT, a strategic shift as the company aims to increase revenue amid projected spending commitments of approximately $1.4 trillion in the coming years. This marks a notable change from OpenAI's prior stance on advertising. Less than two years ago, CEO Sam Altman referred to ads as a "last resort." His perspective appears to have shifted as OpenAI adapts to its growing needs and costs. In June, Altman stated on the podcast that while he wasn't entirely opposed to advertising, it would need to be approached with caution. Additionally, OpenAI has recently undergone a restructuring process, transitioning to a traditional for-profit model, which Altman believes will facilitate easier capital raising in the future.