Observed Signal · Feb 15, 2026 · Announcement · Source: techcrunch · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
India Surges to 100M Weekly ChatGPT Users!
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said India has about 100 million weekly active ChatGPT users, making it the service’s second-largest market after the United States. Altman published the figure ahead of OpenAI’s participation in the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi and highlighted students as a major driver of adoption. OpenAI opened a New Delhi office in August 2025 and has tailored offerings for price-sensitive Indian users — including a sub-$5 ChatGPT Go tier later made free for a year in India. Altman said OpenAI will announce new partnerships with the Indian government to expand access, but provided no further details.
Disclosure of 100M weekly users in India signals major geographic scale for a leading LLM platform, influencing product, monetization and gov‑partnership strategies relevant to conversational/ad placements and market expansion.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Sam Altman stated India has 100 million weekly active ChatGPT users.
- Altman said India is ChatGPT’s second-largest user base after the United States.
- OpenAI opened a New Delhi office in August 2025.
- OpenAI rolled out a sub-$5 ChatGPT Go tier, later made free for a year for Indian users.
- OpenAI plans to participate in the India AI Impact Summit and signalled forthcoming partnerships with the Indian government.
Connected Companies & Entities
3 Entities mappedOntology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
India's Youth Drives ChatGPT Surge with 50% Usage
OpenAI reported that users aged 18–24 accounted for nearly 50% of messages sent to ChatGPT in India, and users under 30 made up about 80% of usage. Indians use ChatGPT more for professional tasks (35% of messages) than the global average (30%). OpenAI said Codex usage in India is three times the global median and weekly Codex activity quadrupled after a recent Mac app release. India is OpenAI’s second-largest market with over 100 million weekly users. The company is expanding its India presence with new offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru, a compute partnership with Tata Group securing 100 megawatts and a plan to distribute ChatGPT Enterprise via TCS, plus commercial agreements with Pine Labs, Ixigo, MakeMyTrip and Eternal and educational partnerships to reach 100,000 students.
OpenAI Shows Ads on ChatGPT Free, Go in India
OpenAI has rolled out advertising on ChatGPT Free users and the 399 rupee/month Go tier in India, deploying a managed-ads product and partnering with 50 brands plus agencies WPP and Omnicom. Ads are already live in 38 countries and will be clearly labeled, visually separate, shown below responses, and excluded for users identified or predicted to be under 18. OpenAI will launch a self-serve ad manager on Sept. 4 with a daily minimum budget of ₹725 (~$7.60). The company cites more than 100 million weekly Indian ChatGPT users and says ads help cover inference costs and scale consumer-focused monetization. The move is part of broader revenue growth — OpenAI reported $6.7 billion in Q2 2026 — as it prepares for a planned 2027 IPO.
ChatGPT Go Expands to More Countries
OpenAI has introduced ChatGPT Go, a cheaper subscription tier priced under $5 that sits between Free and Plus and promises substantially higher limits and capabilities. Initially rolled out in India, where it costs Rs 399 per month (about $4.55) and advertises 10x higher message limits, 10x more image generations, 10x more file uploads, and 2x longer memory versus the free tier, the plan has since expanded to Indonesia at 75,000 IDR per month (roughly $4.5). The rollout is then extending to additional markets including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, East Timor and Vietnam. OpenAI notes that Europe’s availability remains undecided. Nick Turley, OpenAI’s Head of Product for ChatGPT, and CEO Sam Altman are cited discussing Go and broader roadmap, with GPT-5 viewed as the likely base model. The company reportedly aims to grow subscriptions as weekly active users reach hundreds of millions.
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