OpenAI just stumbled into a PR headache and it all started with a simple app suggestion.
The controversy began when a subscriber to ChatGPT’s $200-per-month Pro plan shared a screenshot on X showing it suggested the Peloton app during an unrelated conversation about Elon Musk and xAI.
Naturally, the user (and the internet chatter that followed) assumed the worst: OpenAI was testing ads, even for its highest-paying customers.
The company quickly clarified that it wasn’t a paid ad, but rather a clumsily integrated feature test. However, on Episode 184 of The Artificial Intelligence Show SmarterX and Marketing AI Institute founder and CEO Paul Roetzer argued the mistake reveals something significant about OpenAI’s current operating culture.
Ad Anger
The backlash began when users noticed third-party app suggestions popping up in their chats, according to a story from TechCrunch. In the example that went viral, the interruption was jarring: a fitness app recommendation during a discussion about artificial intelligence.
OpenAI’s data lead for ChatGPT, Daniel McAuley, jumped in to clarify the situation. He stated there was “no financial component” involved and that the placement was a suggestion intended to help users discover apps that integrate with ChatGPT.
He admitted, however, that the lack of relevancy created a bad and confusing experience, the TechCrunch story said.
While the technical explanation clears OpenAI of selling ad space (for now), the incident highlights a growing friction between the company’s rapid product development and its user experience.
The Blowback from "Moving Really Fast"
For Roetzer, this is a symptom of a company under immense pressure to scale.
“It’s a really bad look,” says Roetzer. “They’re obviously moving really fast. They’re under tremendous pressure to dramatically accelerate revenue, open new markets, and get the next round of funding.”
To meet these demands, OpenAI has been aggressively hiring high-profile executives and pushing for rapid innovation. But Roetzer says this speed might be coming at the cost of cohesive strategy and oversight. Based on interviews he’s read with the company's leadership, he notes that OpenAI doesn’t seem to follow a traditional, rigid product roadmap.
“It is open experimentation,” Roetzer says. “There are lots of shots on goal. And then it sounds like things just sort of bubble up and then they get resources quickly, decisions are made.
"And all of a sudden," Roetzer says, "it's in ChatGPT and people are getting blowback everywhere."
The Cost of Unforced Errors
The real risk here isn’t just a confusing interface; it’s alienating the power users who are funding the technology.
When you are charging premium prices, specifically the $200 per month Pro tier, expectations for a polished, distraction-free experience are incredibly high. It’s similar to the expectations you have with streaming service: A big part of Netflix’s appeal is no ads.
Seeing an irrelevant prompt that looks like an ad on ChatGPT is a quick way to erode trust, Roetzer says.
“I’d be pissed,” he says. “I’m paying 200 bucks a month for Pro. I don’t want to see some completely irrelevant recommendation for an app in there that looks like an ad.”
He points out that this stands in stark contrast to a company like Google, which has spent 25 years learning how to integrate commercial messages in ways that (usually) add value rather than subtract from it. OpenAI, by comparison, is still acting like a scrappy startup, despite its massive valuation.
“I'm not meaning to be negative toward OpenAI here, it's just the reality,” Roetzer says. “They are very much a scale-up company, maybe like we've never seen. And they have to figure a lot of things out really fast.”
Sprint But With Intention
Roetzer predicts that as the company continues to sprint toward revenue targets and new capabilities, we should expect more of these issues.
“I think they’re just making bad decisions because they’re moving so fast,” Roetzer says. “And they have this culture where they don't have a lot of oversight of how these decisions are being made.
“I just hate to see good companies making really bad, obvious mistakes,” he added.
Mike Kaput
As Chief Content Officer, Mike Kaput uses content marketing, marketing strategy, and marketing technology to grow and scale traffic, leads, and revenue for Marketing AI Institute. Mike is the co-author of Marketing Artificial Intelligence: AI, Marketing and the Future of Business (Matt Holt Books, 2022). See Mike's full bio.