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OpenAI appeared to be closer to pulling the trigger on advertising in ChatGPT in recent days, but a growing threat from Google has forced the company to pause those plans as it gears up for a quickly escalating chatbot fight. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sent a memo to staff on December 1 declaring a “code red” and ordering the company’s primary focus to be on improving ChatGPT. As part of that directive, Altman reportedly said the company would be pushing back work on other projects, including the introduction of advertising to its chatbot. The about-face came just days after Tibor Blaho, an engineer working on a Chrome extension that offers pre-written prompts for ChatGPT, posted on social media that he had discovered lines of code which heavily referenced ads in a beta version of ChatGPT’s Android app, including mentions of “ads feature,” “search ad,” and “bazaar content.” (That beta has not yet been released to the public.) Altman has hedged when the topic of ads in ChatGPT has come up previously. While saying he “hates ads” personally, he added at a 2024 Harvard University fireside chat that he was “not totally against them” and stressed, “I’m not saying OpenAI would never consider ads.” He cushioned those comments, though, by saying “ads plus AI is uniquely unsettling to me. When I think of GPT writing me a response, if I had to go figure out exactly how much was [a sponsor] paying . . . to influence what I’m being shown, I don’t think I would like that very much.” The discovery of ad code is not conclusive proof that ChatGPT will incorporate advertisements into its chatbot. It’s possible OpenAI is planning to work with other companies to let them personalize ad content on other sites based on ChatGPT usage. OpenAI did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the ad code. ChatGPT has become a Goliath in the AI space. In October, Altman disclosed that the chatbot sees 800 million weekly active users, a big jump from the 500 million WAUs it reported at the end of March. It has amassed that sizable user base in just three years. But as it has grown, so too have competitors. Googles Gemini AI has emerged recently as perhaps the most serious threat to OpenAI’s dominance, outpacing ChatGPT in industry benchmarks. Gemini 3, released last month, also has a huge built-in user base, as the technology was inserted into Google Search as well as a full suite of developer tools. Altman’s memo indicates the company is feeling the pressure from Gemini and other AI firms, which (like OpenAI) are spending heavily in the race for leadership in the AI space. Altman told his team that work needed to be done on improving personalization for users, increasing speed and reliability, and widening the range of questions that ChatGPT can answer. Right now, OpenAI generates much of its revenue from partnerships with businesses that use its API model and via paid subscriptions to its most advanced technology. (A free version that is less advanced is available to users who prefer not to pay.) The company is on track to hit $20 billion in revenue this year. Altman has said he expects that figure to grow to hundreds of billions by 2030. Even so, the company says it cannot guarantee it will turn a profit within the next five years, given the high cost of computing. In the meantime, it expects to post massive losses, including a projected $74 billion shortfall in 2028.
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Businesses still spend billions each year on management training programs, but here we are in 2025with a growing leadership gap and executives scrambling for answers. And if I can get honest for a moment: Were still approaching the problem backward. Senior leaders keep promoting high-performing individual contributors into leadership roles and expecting them to figure it out on the fly. Many dont have the time, support, or temperament to lead people well. Then were surprised when the results are uneven or the team burns out. Before companies invest in another round of training, they need to start with a more fundamental question: Are we choosing the right people to lead? And more important, are we modeling the leadership behaviors we want them to learn? Start with what actually works: Model servant leadership Leadership boils down to people, trust, and relationships. And the simple truth is still the same today: Great leaders lead by serving. They focus on what their people need to succeedclarity, coaching, safety, and supportnot on protecting their own ego or authority. For readers familiar with my coaching work and the book I authored earlier this year, you know Ive been beating this drum for years: Servant leadership has moved from a niche, values-driven concept to the core operating philosophy of many of the worlds most admired and profitable companies. After over two decades of developing leaders, Ive seen a consistent pattern: The best leaders genuinely want their people to thrive. Theyre willing to put the teams needs first, share credit freely, and take responsibility when things go sideways. They grow people rather than simply manage tasks. And that kind of growthpersonal, professional, relationalis what builds resilient teams. Whether you lead 3 people or 3,000, these behaviors will elevate your impact and build trust faster than any leadership playbook. 1. Build trust through real, intentional caring Strong leaders show interest in peoples work, their goals, and their long-term direction. Theyre curious about what motivates each person and intentional about creating opportunities that stretch their skills. This isnt soft. Its emotional engagementand its one of the biggest drivers of performance and retention. Think about it: When leaders support their people through promotions and pay raises (first and foremost), internal moves, stretch assignments, or removing obstacles from their path, it sends a powerful messageyou matter. As the (often-attributed) John C. Maxwell quote goes, People dont care how much you know until they know how much you care. When employees feel their leaders genuinely care, confidence rises, performance follows, and career paths become healthier and more aligned with their strengths. 2. Use empathy to connect with others and drive results In 2018, Global training powerhouse Development Dimensions International (DDI) assessed 15,000-plus leaders across 20 industries and found empathy to be the strongest predictor of overall performanceespecially the ability to listen and respond with empathy. That hasnt changed. If anything, the modern workplacewith hybrid teams, rising burnout, AI, and constant changehas made empathy even more essential. But empathy isnt a strategy you perform and it doesnt come from a to-do list. It shows up in how you listen, how you check in, and how you respond to someones realityeven when their experience is different from your own. Empathic leaders dont just hear what people say; they understand the context, emotions, and challenges behind it. That perspective creates psychological safety, and safety unlocks creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration. 3. Be radically transparent A transparent culture builds trust and fosters collaboration. When people feel safe voicing their thoughts, it deepens engagement and creates a more resilient, trustworthy team dynamic. Tip: Encourage employees to ask any questionyes, even the hard ones. People also dont stress around transparent leaders and teamwork isnt undermined, because information is shared openly to let everyone know whats going on at all times. Going a step further, studies prove that organizations that share privileged information with their employeestypically reserved for the ivory tower in command-and-control power structuresreduce uncertainty and alleviate stress about where they are headed and why. One example of openness, perhaps a bit extreme for most companies, is social media optimization company Buffer. It goes so far as to post its formula for salaries online for everyone to see, including the compensation of CEO Joel Gascoigne. Bringing it home No leadership framewor works without spending real time with your people. Learn who they are, what energizes them, and what blocks them. Understand their strengths, their motivations, their values, and their blind spots. So heres a question worth asking yourself today:How well do you really know the people you lead? If you want to advance your leadership impact, start by serving. Learn what matters to your team. Shape roles that offer meaning and purpose. Use their strengths wisely. And champion their growtheven if that growth eventually takes them to a new team or a new company. When you invest in people this way, you dont just build stronger teams. You build a healthier culture, a deeper bench of future leaders, and long-term success for everyone involved. Like this article? Subscribe here for more related content and exclusive insights from executive coach and speaker Marcel Schwantes. Marcel Schwantes This article originally appeared on Fast Companys sister publication, Inc. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
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Age really is just a number when it comes to social media, as new research from Ampere Analysis shows that more than half of users ages 55 to 64 now watch influencer content every week. This number is up by 10 percentage points since 2020. In the U.K., the figure has also risen over the past five years, from 30% to 38%. TikTok and YouTube, in particular, are behind the growthproof that Boomers social media presence is no longer limited to Facebook. The biggest surprise in our latest data wasnt how popular influencer videos have become, it is how rapidly this trend has extended to older audiences, Annabel Yeomans, senior research manager at Ampere Analysis, said in a statement on December 1. That age group55 to 64delivered the highest growth in YouTubes monthly viewing from the first quarter of 2020 to the third quarter of 2025, up by 25% in the U.S. and 14% in the U.K. In the past year alone, TikToks monthly active users grew 6% in the U.S. and 16% in the U.K. among audiences ages 55 to 64. The growing popularity of influencer content with older viewers comes as YouTube has established itself as a living-room viewing experience. More than a quarter (29%) now use a smart TV monthly to watch YouTube, as smart TV ownership among internet users ages 55 to 64 in the U.K. and the U.S. is up 20 percentage points since the pandemic, jumping from 59% to 79%. As viewing habits diversify and platforms like YouTube and TikTok become part of living-room viewing, the lines between social and traditional platforms are blurring, Yeomans said. Streaming platforms have responded by partnering with influencers on premium content, as Netflix has with kids educator Rachel Anne Accursos Ms. Rachel videos and Amazon has with Molly-Mae Hagues docuseries, Molly-Mae: Behind It All. And yet, just 15% of older consumers globally feel represented in the advertising they see, according to GWI, jumping to 20% for those who follow brands or influencers on social media. To fill this gap, the number of so-called granfluencers is also increasing. These older creators represent a fast-growing demographic of social media users, and thus are starting to catch marketers attention. New opportunities for collaboration across different platform types are emerging, Yeomans said. Streaming services are increasingly partnering with influencers, an approach that first attracted younger viewers and is now gaining traction among older audiences.
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