Sam Altman's OpenAI may launch ChatGPT-based social network: Report

If launched, the move could further strain Altman's relationship with Elon Musk — who owns X and co-founded OpenAI before leaving in 2018.

By  Storyboard18Apr 16, 2025 11:48 AM
Sam Altman's OpenAI may launch ChatGPT-based social network: Report
CEO Sam Altman has privately been seeking feedback on the idea, though OpenAI has not officially commented on the report.

OpenAI is reportedly developing a social media platform similar to X (formerly Twitter), according to The Verge, which cited multiple sources close to the project.

An early internal version of the platform already exists, the report says, and features a social feed that focuses on ChatGPT’s image generation capabilities. The project is still in the early stages, and it remains unclear whether the new platform will be released as a standalone app or integrated into ChatGPT itself.

CEO Sam Altman has privately been seeking feedback on the idea, though OpenAI has not officially commented on the report.

If launched, the move could further strain Altman's relationship with Elon Musk — who owns X and co-founded OpenAI before leaving in 2018. The rivalry between the two has intensified recently. In February, Musk reportedly led a group of investors to offer $97.4 billion for control of OpenAI, a bid that Altman firmly rejected.

Last year, Musk also filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Altman, accusing them of abandoning the company’s founding mission to build AI for the good of humanity, rather than for profit. OpenAI responded with its own lawsuit earlier this month, accusing Musk of harassment and trying to block its move toward a for-profit model. The dispute is set to go to jury trial in spring 2026.

A social media offering from OpenAI would also put the company in direct competition with Meta, which is reportedly building its own standalone AI-powered platform. In February, responding to those reports, Altman posted on X: “ok fine maybe we'll do a social app”.

Both Meta and X have a significant advantage when it comes to user data — large volumes of public content from their platforms, which are often used to train AI systems. A move by OpenAI into this space could change the balance in the AI-driven content game.

First Published on Apr 16, 2025 11:41 AM

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