“Ok fine maybe we’ll do a social app.”
OpenAI is developing an early-stage prototype for a social media platform, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
According to The Verge, the project is said to focus on ChatGPT’s image generation features and includes an internal prototype with a social feed.
Sources say CEO Sam Altman has been seeking private feedback from individuals outside the company.
It is not yet known whether the product will launch as a standalone app or be integrated into ChatGPT, which became the most downloaded app worldwide in March 2025.
Launching a social platform would likely escalate OpenAI’s rivalry with Elon Musk.
Musk is an OpenAI co-founder who left the startup in 2018 before it emerged as a frontrunner in the generative artificial intelligence race.
In February, Musk made an unsolicited $97.4 billion offer to acquire OpenAI.
Altman declined, responding: “No thank you but we will buy Twitter for $9.74 billion if you want.”
Musk has since merged X and xAI, integrating his chatbot Grok with the X platform to pull in content for its responses.
Sources say OpenAI’s move also positions it to compete more directly with Meta, which is preparing a standalone app for its AI assistant that may feature a social feed.
When reports first emerged that Meta was working on a ChatGPT rival, Altman posted on X:
“Ok fine maybe we’ll do a social app.”
One motivation behind OpenAI’s prototype is to gain access to real-time user data.
Platforms like X and Meta already use such data to train their AI models.
Meta’s Llama model benefits from the company’s vast dataset of user activity. Musk’s Grok is enhanced by its access to X’s content.
A social product from OpenAI could provide similar training advantages.
One person working at another large-scale AI lab said:
“The Grok integration with X has made everyone jealous.”
“Especially how people create viral tweets by getting it to say something stupid.”
The social project remains in its early stages and may never launch.
However, its existence inside OpenAI reflects the company’s ambitions to expand its influence and capabilities at a time when public and investor expectations for its growth are rapidly increasing.
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