ChatGPT is losing users, the decline in growth rate is remarkable

ChatGPT’s rapid growth, which has attracted attention recently, has begun to lose momentum. According to market analysis company Sensor Tower data, while there is a significant increase in ChatGPT removal rates, new user acquisition is also more limited compared to previous months. This picture brings up new discussions in terms of the timing of OpenAI’s IPO plans, which have been on the agenda for a long time.

According to data shared by Sensor Tower, ChatGPT’s application deletion rate increased by 132 percent in April compared to the same period last year. In the previous month, this rate reached much higher levels, increasing by 413 percent on an annual basis. This leap, following the agreement made between OpenAI and the US Department of Defense in February, is noteworthy. Despite this, the platform’s total user base continues to grow, but the pace of growth has decreased significantly.

While there was a 168 percent increase in the number of monthly active users in January, this rate decreased to 78 percent in April. This decline does not change the fact that ChatGPT still has a larger user base than its competitors. Nevertheless, the slowdown in the growth rate is considered an important indicator, especially in the artificial intelligence chat bot market, where competition is intense.

ChatGPT loses momentum as competition increases

The performance of rival platforms also makes this picture more clear. According to Sensor Tower data, ChatGPT’s download numbers have increased by 14 percent on an annual basis in recent months, while Claude, developed by Anthropic, has achieved an 11-fold growth in the same period. This difference shows that the tendency of users to turn to alternative artificial intelligence tools is getting stronger. In addition, it is known that other strong competitors such as Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot have increased the competition in the market.

On the other hand, this change in user behavior is not limited to competition. Following the rapid spread of artificial intelligence applications, the rising expectations of users bring about a more selective approach to performance and usage experience. Despite this, ChatGPT’s broad feature set and brand recognition ensure that the platform remains in a strong position.

In addition to all this, OpenAI’s financial goals also seem to be affected by these developments. According to information provided by The Wall Street Journal, the company fell behind its internal expectations in new user acquisition and revenue targets. This situation has caused some concerns in OpenAI management, especially on the finance side. It is stated that the company’s chief financial officer, Sarah Friar, pointed out that if revenue growth does not occur at a sufficient pace, there may be difficulties in financing future high-cost processing power agreements.

OpenAI’s IPO plans are still not clear, but the current picture increases the impact of the company’s growth performance on investor perception. Although the user base remains wide, the slowdown in growth rate and increasing competition make the question of what strategy the company will follow in the coming period more visible.