Introduction: The Surge of ChatGPT Enterprise
OpenAI released significant new data on Monday showcasing a massive spike in its enterprise tool usage. Message volume on ChatGPT Enterprise has grown 8x since November 2024. This announcement comes at a critical juncture, arriving just one week after CEO Sam Altman's internal "code red" memo regarding the growing competitive threat from Google.
Adoption Data and Time Savings
According to the report, workers utilizing these tools claim to save up to an hour daily. Specifically, participants reported saving between 40 to 60 minutes per day using OpenAI's enterprise products. It is worth noting that these figures might not account for the time spent learning the systems, prompting, or correcting AI outputs.
Market Share and Custom GPTs
The Ramp AI Index indicates that close to 36% of U.S. businesses are ChatGPT Enterprise customers, compared to 14.3% for Anthropic. A key highlight is the explosion of Custom GPTs, used to codify institutional knowledge:
- They jumped 19x this year.
- They now account for 20% of enterprise messages.
- Practical example: BBVA regularly uses over 4,000 custom GPTs.
The Problem: Token Consumption and Sustainability
A striking statistic concerns technical infrastructure: organizations using OpenAI's API are consuming 320 times more "reasoning tokens" than a year ago. This suggests two scenarios:
- Companies are using AI for much more complex problem-solving.
- There is heavy experimentation "burning" through tokens without necessarily getting proportional long-term value.
This surge raises sustainability concerns, as reasoning tokens correlate with high energy usage and operational costs.
The Challenge: Google Gemini and the "Code Red" Context
Despite B2B growth, the majority of OpenAI's revenue still comes from consumer subscriptions, a user base directly threatened by Google Gemini. Releasing this data is interpreted by many analysts as a marketing response to Altman's "code red" memo. The goal is to reassure investors and customers about the strength of enterprise adoption, which is needed to justify $1.4T in infrastructure commitments.
New Trends: "Vibe Coding"
OpenAI reported a 36% increase in coding-related messages from non-technical teams (outside engineering and IT). While three-quarters of surveyed users say AI enables them to perform technical tasks they couldn't do before, the rise of so-called "vibe coding" could lead to security vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The numbers show rapid adoption and deep workflow customization via Custom GPTs. However, critical questions remain regarding the sustainability of energy costs linked to reasoning tokens and the need to convert this experimentation into lasting economic value to withstand Google's advance.
FAQ
How much has ChatGPT Enterprise usage grown?
Message volume on ChatGPT Enterprise has grown 8x since November 2024, indicating rapid adoption among businesses.
What are reasoning tokens and how much have they increased?
Reasoning tokens, used for complex problem-solving, have increased 320x in the last year, raising concerns about costs and energy.
What is the main threat to OpenAI in the current context?
The main threat is Google Gemini, which endangers the consumer revenue base, prompting OpenAI to push harder into the enterprise sector.
How much time do workers save using AI?
Workers report saving between 40 to 60 minutes per day, though this estimate may exclude setup and correction time.
What are Custom GPTs and how popular are they?
Custom GPTs are personalized versions of AI; their usage jumped 19x this year and they now account for 20% of enterprise messages.