ChatGPT, Sora, Operator, and the new image generator are cool, but they’re not the most impressive things OpenAI has done.
Before you have me committed, hear me out. 😩
These products are AMAZING. Personally, they’ve improved my workflow and unlocked efficiencies that ultimately led to more revenue.
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So, what’s the most impressive thing that nobody’s talking about? The absolute masterclass that is OpenAI’s Go-to-Market strategy. 🙌
In fact, on March 31, 2025, OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, announced that ChatGPT gained one million new users in just one hour, driven by high demand for its newly launched image generation feature.
In this article, we won’t talk about benchmarks or how many gazillion data points were used to build a large language model.
We’re going deep into OpenAI’s Go-to-Market strategy. (GTM) 🤓☝️
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If you’re new to my work, my name is Lester, but feel free to call me Les. I’m a founder with a successful exit, executive chairman of several DTC brands, and an award-winning performance marketer. In my career, I’ve crafted campaigns that made millions and campaigns that flopped hard. Trust me when I say if you’re trying to grow or launch a business, there’s a lot to learn from OpenAI.
By the way, if you like data-driven marketing insights and practical ways to use AI, check out my free newsletter, No Fluff Just Facts. I break down what’s working in marketing right now and the AI innovations worth your attention. 🤓
But enough about me. We need to talk about OpenAI and how it absolutely obliterated the competition.
Understand the competitive AI landscape
To understand what we can learn from OpenAI’s GTM, we first need to grasp how intense the competition in this space has become.
Startups are getting funded at an extraordinary rate, some without a product, simply by saying “Yeah, we have AI”. I’ve even seen AI toasters, but that’s a story for another day. 😔
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Outside of that, the who’s who of Big Tech is also making a massive push into the space and fighting for the top spot. But can you blame them? The space is estimated at USD $757.58 billion in 2025, with projections to reach USD $3.6 trillion by 2034, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 19.20%. Yeah, that’s trillion with a T.
But even though everyone and their momma are competing for that top spot, when you think AI, you think ChatGPT.
Let that sink in… a STARTUP IS CRUSHING some of the world’s biggest and most well-funded companies. 🤯
Now we could argue until we’re blue in the face about what model is better, who beat what benchmark, blah blah blah. But you know what isn’t up for debate?
Who the clear “winner” is when it comes to users and user growth. 🏆
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In 27 months, OpenAI has captured the lion’s share of the AI market, and it has managed to one-up itself with every product announcement. What makes this even more impressive is that it wasn’t the first to market, and in some cases, it’s not even the best solution. It’s a lot like when the iPhone took off, except this feels even bigger.
OpenAI has become impossible to ignore, and in case you missed it, this is a startup!!! 🚀
Lessons for founders and marketers
Now that we’ve covered how we got here, let’s talk about how OpenAI pulled this off. A few things had to go its way, but most of it came down to the stuff you don’t see in the numbers, like smart hiring, fixing bugs fast, and keeping everyone on the same page. I can only imagine how drained the team must be. It feels like it’s been one long sprint since the launch.
All that is important, but for today’s conversation, let’s focus on the GTM public-facing strategies that stood out to me. 📌
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Every time a new AI thingy gets announced, companies always talk about benchmarks. It reminds me of those old ‘I’m a Mac, I’m a PC’ ads. PC never quite got it. People care about features, but only up to a point. Sure, some folks are all about the specs, but most people either don’t notice or don’t care.
What they care about is whether the thing works and whether it solves their problem. 🤓☝️
We have a saying in the office: ‘People don’t want a drill; they want a hole in the wall.’ That’s precisely the approach OpenAI takes when it launches something new. It focuses on what the product does for people. Sure, it’ll drop a benchmark here and there, but the message always centers on real use cases.
I’m not saying benchmarks don’t matter, but this team clearly knows how to acquire users and keep them engaged. 🤝
Another key part of OpenAI’s playbook that doesn’t get enough credit is how openly Sam Altman and his team are building OpenAI. Altman has this way of making us feel like we’re part of the journey. If you’ve followed my work, you know I’ve been saying that building a personal brand is the future of business.
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Take a look at the guy leading the AI revolution. He’s an incredible storyteller who leans into being human. That alone should be your sign to start building in public. Everything is out there for the world to see, from beefing with Elon Musk to rolling out new features.
Out of everything OpenAI has done, the partnerships and integrations like getting ChatGPT into Azure and Bing might be my favorite move. 🤜 🤛
At the core, OpenAI tapped into other people’s audiences to bring in users. Call it affiliate marketing, influencer collabs, or joint ventures.
It’s all borrowed credibility. 🎯
Like when your friend introduces you to a new group and says, “They’re cool.” Now you’re good, just off the strength of that intro.
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All that said, the GTM isn’t fancy. OpenAI does the basics exceptionally well:
Focus on benefits, not features. Don’t say, “Trained on 1.8 trillion parameters.” Say “Writes your entire blog post in 30 seconds.”
Build a community. OpenAI and Altman building in public makes the experience feel personal.
Collaborate to grow. As business professionals, we often feel like we have to go at it alone, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
My two cents
OpenAI is building very impressive products, but as business professionals, we need to take note that the AI company doesn’t use AI as a crutch but as a tool to enhance “good old-fashioned” marketing principles by focusing on clear communication and being relatable. 💪
So, as you forge into the AI future, don’t forget the basics.
😇 Hope this helps. I’m rooting for you!
P.S. If you want more easy and helpful AI tips and tricks, sign up for my free newsletter, No Fluff Just Facts.
