ChatGPT Doubles User Base in Six Months: The Secrets to its Growth
ChatGPT has seen a twofold increase in its user base in the past six months: exploring the key factors behind its impressive growth.
Tl;dr
- ChatGPT doubles its user base in the second half of 2024, reaching 400 million weekly active users.
- The chatbot’s growth attributed to continuous innovations and the launch of GPT-4o and GPT-o1.
- DeepSeek’s R1 model emerges as a global competitor just 10 days after its launch.
ChatGPT, the standard-bearer of generative artificial intelligence, has experienced a seismic surge in user numbers, with data confirming its ascendancy. According to a recent report, OpenAI’s chatbot has doubled its user base during the latter half of 2024, boasting now more than 400 million weekly active users.
ChatGPT’s Meteoric Rise in Generative AI
The pace of the chatbot’s expansion has accelerated over the past few months. TechCrunch’s report, citing data from a16z, reveals that ChatGPT has doubled its user count within a six-month period. A remarkable feat, considering it previously took nine months to achieve a similar growth—from 100 million users in November 2023 to 200 million users by August the following year.
Moreover, under the stewardship of Sam Altman, the organization has reached other significant milestones. Notably, it became the fastest application to reach 100 million users following its launch in November 2022—a mark achieved in just two months.
ChatGPT’s Growth Trajectory
- 100 million weekly active users by November 2023.
- 200 million by August 2024.
- 300 million by December 2024.
- 400 million by February 2025.
The Catalysts of ChatGPT’s Explosive Growth
According to a16z, the initial popularity of the chatbot was driven by users’ curiosity towards this disruptive innovation. Upon ChatGPT’s launch in November 2022, the surprise was widespread. Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, even admitted that the launch caught them off guard, prompting them to accelerate their own developments in the field. On a similar note, a former OpenAI board member disclosed that Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, had kept the launch date a secret, even among the group members.
ChatGPT managed to overcome one of the biggest challenges faced by rapidly growing applications: sustaining growth after the initial surge. TechCrunch attributes the chatbot’s growth primarily to the constant rollout of innovations. The launch of GPT-4o with its multimodal capabilities was cited as a key growth driver, helping to double active users between April and May of the past year. Additionally, the introduction of GPT-o1, which added voice interaction and analytical thinking features, also provided a boost between September and October.
Finally, despite the intensifying competition, ChatGPT’s upward trajectory is evidenced by more statistics. The mobile app users increased by between 5% and 15% each month over the past year, with 175 million out of the 400 million weekly active users accessing the chatbot from mobile devices.
However, ChatGPT’s leadership in generative AI is being challenged. The rankings reveal a revolution in February with the emergence of the R1 model from Chinese startup DeepSeek, now second only to ChatGPT. The most striking detail is its meteoric rise to this global position, achieved just 10 days after its launch.