OpenAI Reopens ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions

OpenAI has "found more gpus" (that's graphics processing units, a kind of computer chip) and will reopen subscriptions to its premium version of ChatGPT, CEO Sam Altman said Wednesday in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

ChatGPT Plus, as it is known, had closed to new subscribers on Nov. 15 — just days after Altman had revealed its new suite of abilities, including making custom chatbots, called GPTs, at the company's first developer showcase.

Altman's showmanship had triggered an influx of new users that "exceeded our capacity," Altman wrote last month. Days later, Altman was fired by OpenAI's board, kicking off a maelstrom of speculation about whether the company would survive, before he was reinstated a week later as CEO.

Now, the move to reopen ChatGPT Plus is a further return to normalcy for OpenAI. Also on Wednesday, the company announced a deal with media publisher Axel Springer that could bring breaking news to ChatGPT.