OpenAI gets its first-ever CMO; Coinbase's Kate Rouch joins Sam Altman's AI firm as CMO
Kate Rouch previously led Coinbase as chief marketing officer.
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Kate Rouch, who led Coinbase as chief marketing officer, has been appointed by Open AI as its first ever CMO. Rouch led the global marketing and PR functions during her stint at Coinbase.
Rouch shared in a note, "Working here is the hardest and the greatest thing I’ve ever done. With the toughest and smartest people I know. Over the past 3 years we’ve been tested. Financially. Legally. Reputationally. Politically."
Rouch added, "The Coinbase marketing and comms team is the best in the game. It’s been a profound honor to work alongside them. Team, thanks for showing me that instead of skipping through your ads with sound off – strangers on the Internet will routinely CHEER for you and publicly demand that you get a pay raise!! You’re truly giving voice to a movement. The Coinbase journey proves that smart marketing can transform brand into an asymmetrical business advantage for frontier tech companies – in good times, and bad times."
Rouch began her career as a consultant at The Bridgespan Group, and then worked at Meta. During her stint at Meta as vice president, global head of brand and product marketing, Rouch spent over a decade at Meta. She led brand and product marketing for Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Facebook.
OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, is considering introducing advertising as a potential revenue stream as it transitions into a for-profit corporation.
Sarah Friar, Chief Financial Officer of OpenAI, shared in an interview with the Financial Times that while the company is evaluating ad models, no immediate plans have been finalized. "We plan to be thoughtful about when and where we implement them [ads]," Friar told FT.
The San Francisco-based AI giant, which recently raised $6.6 billion in funding, has been recruiting advertising talent from major players like Meta and Google, signalling its interest in diversifying revenue streams.
OpenAI's rise to prominence has been meteoric, with annualized revenues reaching $4 billion thanks to the widespread adoption of ChatGPT, which boasts over 250 million weekly active users.
