OpenAI's momentum is increasing as CEO Sam Altman reassures employees and investors, despite rising competitive pressure from rival Anthropic's improved coding tools.

OpenAI Regains Momentum with Strong Growth

Sam Altman wrote in an internal Slack message on Friday that ChatGPT has returned to more than 10% monthly growth and that OpenAI plans to roll out an updated Chat model this week.

He also said Codex usage jumped about 50% in the past week after OpenAI released its new GPT-5.3-Codex model and a standalone Mac app, CNBC reported on Monday.

OpenAI also moved to address Anthropic's Super Bowl ads that criticized the idea of advertising inside ChatGPT.

Altman called the ads "deceptive" and said OpenAI would "obviously never run ads in the way Anthropic depicts them."

A person familiar with the matter told CNBC that OpenAI will start testing ads in ChatGPT on Monday, with ads clearly labeled, placed at the bottom of responses, and not used to influence answers.

Microsoft Corp (MSFT  ) is the largest outside stakeholder of OpenAI, holding a roughly 27% stake.

Funding Round and Growing Investor Interest

Several major tech players are lining up to deepen their stakes in OpenAI as the company pursues a massive new funding round.

Nvidia Corp (NVDA  ), led by CEO Jensen Huang, is reportedly nearing a $20 billion investment in OpenAI, which would become the chipmaker's largest commitment to the AI startup so far, according to Bloomberg.

OpenAI is reportedly targeting up to $100 billion in fresh capital.

Amazon.com Inc (AMZN  ) is said to be weighing an investment of as much as $50 billion, while Softbank Group Corp (SFTBY  ), already one of OpenAI's largest shareholders, has discussed adding up to $30 billion more.

The talks come as investors scrutinize OpenAI's relationship with Nvidia.

Recent reports suggested that earlier plans for an even larger Nvidia investment stalled due to internal concerns, and that OpenAI has expressed dissatisfaction with some of Nvidia's newer AI chips. Both Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have publicly disputed those claims.

Analyst Take

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said the latest headlines involving Nvidia and OpenAI have heightened investor attention, but he views the developments as positive signals that strengthen the long-term case for the AI boom.

Ives said concerns about circular financing and "too big to fail" dynamics have put Nvidia's planned OpenAI investment under a microscope.

He noted that Nvidia previously laid out plans to help build at least 10 gigawatts of computing capacity for OpenAI and to invest as much as $100 billion, making CEO Jensen Huang's public comments especially important for market sentiment.

The analyst said Nvidia remains in a favorable negotiating position and expects the final investment to land near the upper end of the stated range, which should ease fears about OpenAI becoming "too big to fail."

Ives also highlighted Oracle Corp's (ORCL  ) plan to raise $45 billion to $50 billion in 2026 to fund data center expansion alongside partners including OpenAI, Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, Inc (AMD  ) and xAI.