01What OpenAI SPUD AI Is and How It Works

OpenAI SPUD AI is the internal codename for OpenAI's next major AI model. Sam Altman told employees the model could really accelerate the economy. It is expected to release within a few weeks.

The exact name is unknown—it might be called GPT-5.5 or GPT-6. SPUD is just a placeholder, like how Google named Android releases after desserts. The real name will be announced when it ships.

OpenAI completed pre-training of SPUD. They have not shared specifics like parameter count or multi-modal capabilities. But employees have been told SPUD features a completely novel capability not seen before.

The model is built to power a unified super app that integrates ChatGPT, Codex, and a browser called Atlas. SPUD will be the engine behind that single platform.

02Main Features of SPUD and What Is New

SPUD is designed for business productivity, coding, and automation. It will let you do more inside one app without switching between tools. The super app idea means ChatGPT handles writing content, researching competitors, and briefing your team all in one place. SPUD is the brain behind that.

Three products were killed to free up computing for SPUD: Sora (video generation), instant checkout (in-chat shopping), and an adult content mode. Sora was shut down on March 24, 2026, after 15 months. Its lifetime revenue was only $1.4 million from 9.6 million downloads—less than 1% of operating costs.

OpenAI also lost a billion-dollar Disney deal and the Apple Siri integration. All compute now goes to SPUD.

03How to Get Ready for the SPUD Release

  1. Start using ChatGPT heavily now. Build daily habits for serious output, not just simple tasks.
  2. Learn automation and coding use cases. SPUD is focused on high productivity workflows.
  3. Join a coaching program or community that covers new model releases. The episode mentions the AI Profitable Boardroom for step-by-step tutorials.
  4. Identify one part of your business you want to automate. Practice using ChatGPT to handle it end-to-end.
  5. Watch for the official release announcement and name drop. The model could ship within weeks.
  6. Test the new model as soon as it lands. The people with reps in will use it better and faster.

04How to Use SPUD: Walking Through the Episode Examples

In this episode, the example of using ChatGPT today is writing content, researching competitors, and briefing your team. You currently switch between different windows, tools, and subscriptions. With SPUD and the super app, ChatGPT handles all of that in one place.

The model is meant to make AI a stronger tool for running your business.

OpenAI's goal is to take 900 million users and turn them into high-compute users. That means people using AI heavily every day for serious output. As a business owner, you should use ChatGPT for better automations, faster output, and more capability inside one app.

The episode suggests getting ahead before most people even know SPUD is out.

05Results, Tests, and Comparisons Shown in the Episode

Sora's results were brutal. Total lifetime revenue was $1.4 million from 9.6 million downloads. Monthly downloads dropped 32% in December 2025 and another 45% in January 2026.

It was a money pit. OpenAI redirected that compute to SPUD.

OpenAI's current numbers: 900 million active weekly users, $20 billion in annualized revenue in 2025. They raised $120 billion in a single private round: $30 billion from SoftBank, $30 billion from Nvidia, and $50 billion from Amazon. The IPO is expected in Q4 2026 with a valuation over $1 trillion.

Anthropic is also planning a public offering in the same window. OpenAI lost the Apple Siri deal to rivals like Claude and Gemini.

06Tips, Limits, and Mistakes to Avoid with SPUD

  • Do not expect SPUD to be called GPT-6. The real name drops at launch. Avoid confusion by waiting for the official announcement.
  • Do not use SPUD for side projects. OpenAI is pausing all side quests and focusing on high-productivity use cases.
  • Be aware that inference costs are high. The more you use ChatGPT, the more it costs OpenAI to run. That is why they need the IPO.
  • Do not lag behind. The gap between people who know how to use AI and those who don't is widening. Start building skills now.
  • Watch for competition. Apple now lets rival chatbots integrate with Siri, so OpenAI lost that slot.
  • If SPUD underwhelms, all the cleanup will not help OpenAI. But as a business owner, the move is the same: get good at AI tools now.

07Who SPUD Is For and Why It Matters

SPUD is for business owners, coders, and anyone who needs serious productivity from AI. OpenAI is making a deliberate bet that the future of AI is business productivity, coding, and automation. If you run a business and use ChatGPT, SPUD is meant to make it do a lot more inside one app without jumping between tools. That matters because the people who already have the reps in will use better and faster tools.

The episode says the gap between AI-savvy users and others is only getting wider. SPUD is coming, the IPO is coming, and OpenAI is all-in on business users. Whether that pays off or not, we will find out in the next few weeks.

For now, getting good at using AI tools gives you an advantage over everyone who is lagging behind.

08The IPO and Restructuring Behind SPUD

OpenAI completed a corporate restructuring in October 2025. It converted its for-profit segment into a public benefit corporation called OpenAI Group PBC. The OpenAI foundation retained a 26% stake.

This restructuring cleared a path for an IPO by removing non-profit constraints on capital raising. Sam Altman said in September 2025 that going public wasn't the focus. By October, he said it was the most likely path forward.

Inference costs are running higher than expected. The more people use ChatGPT, the more it costs to run. OpenAI has many free users that it does not monetize.

So it needs access to public markets to keep funding infrastructure. The IPO could be the biggest in history, but competition from Anthropic and high costs make it a race.