Altman 'code red' memo reportedly delayed OpenAI's advertising program and shopping agents

Date

Dec 2, 2025 (first reported)

Regions

Global

Primary source

MacRumors

Sources

• open_in_new
  Sam Altman Declares 'Code Red' for ChatGPT, Delays OpenAI Advertising PlansMacRumors · Dec 2, 2025

Related changes

• Mar 26, 2026Ads pilot hit $100M run rate with 600+ advertisers; Canada, Australia and New Zealand expansion announced
• Feb 19, 2026First ChatGPT ads spotted in the wild on initial high-intent prompts with favicon and 'Sponsored' label
• Feb 11, 2026Fidji Simo said ChatGPT ads would follow an intent-based model and the model would not know an ad exists
• Feb 9, 2026Ads went live in ChatGPT for logged-in adult Free and Go users in the U.S.
• Jan 16, 2026OpenAI announced U.S. ad tests for ChatGPT Free and Go tiers and launched ChatGPT Go in the U.S.
• Dec 26, 2025OpenAI reported to be advancing ChatGPT ad plans, exploring conversational-AI-specific ad formats

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