ChatGPT's meteoric rise: 800 million users in just 3 years, generating 29,000 prompts a second

OpenAI unveiled ChatGPT on November 30, 2022, marking a major milestone for the company and cementing its status as a leading AI startup in Silicon Valley. In just three years, the AI chatbot has amassed 800 million weekly active users, becoming one of the most widely used technology products in history.

When CEO Sam Altman first introduced ChatGPT, he described language-based AI interfaces as "a big deal," a statement that has proven modest given the chatbot's rapid rise. Altman initially called ChatGPT a "research release," envisioning a future where AI assistants could answer questions, provide guidance, perform tasks, and even discover new knowledge.

The first version of ChatGPT was powered by OpenAI's GPT3.5 model. Over time, more advanced iterations such as GPT-4o in 2024 enhanced the chatbots capabilities, making it faster and more effective across a wider range of tasks. The latest version, GPT-5, replaced previous models for non-subscribers, with improvements in speed, accuracy, and real-world utility, while subscribers could still access GPT-4o. OpenAI highlighted advances in reducing hallucinations, improving instruction-following, and enhancing performance in writing, coding, and health-related tasks.

Rapid User Growth

ChatGPT reached one million weekly active users just one month after launch. Within a year, it surpassed 100 million weekly users, and by the end of July 2025, it had over 700 million weekly active users, representing nearly 10% of the global adult population. By September 2025, weekly active users had climbed to 800 million.

Demographics and Usage Trends

Early adoption skewed toward users with masculine names, but by the first half of 2025, the gender gap had largely closed, with women slightly outnumbering men. Research indicates that female users tend to use ChatGPT for practical advice and writing, while male users focus more on multimedia, technical assistance, and information-seeking queries.

By July 2025, users were sending over 18 billion messages per week, equivalent to roughly 29,000 messages per second. Non-work-related messages have grown faster than work-related ones, accounting for over 70% of all messages in 2025, reflecting the chatbots integration into everyday life beyond professional tasks.

Business Impact

ChatGPTs adoption has also driven OpenAIs financial success. The company reported one million business customers by November 2025. The technology has played a key role in OpenAIs skyrocketing valuation, from $80 billion in February 2024 to $157 billion by October 2024, and reaching $500 billion in September 2025 following a secondary share sale. Analysts project OpenAI could reach a $1 trillion valuation if it goes public.

Global Reach and Features

ChatGPT is available in over 150 countries, offering a variety of features beyond text responses, including image generation, speech-to-text transcription, AI-powered shopping recommendations, and group chats. Users have created millions of custom GPTs, with over three million tailored versions as of January 2024, enabling personalized AI assistants for specific tasks or environments without coding skills.

The Road Ahead

From its modest beginnings as a research experiment, ChatGPT has become a transformative technology with broad global impact, reshaping how people interact with AI for both work and daily life.

Author: Sophia Brooks