On December 5, 2024, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Pro—a $200/month subscription tier.

That's ten times the cost of ChatGPT Plus. The internet lost its mind.

"Who would pay $200 for ChatGPT?" The answer: more people than you'd think.

The Ultra-Premium Tier

Unlimited o1 access: No more rate limits on OpenAI's reasoning model Advanced Voice Mode unlimited: Talk to ChatGPT without restrictions Priority access: Skip the queue during peak times o1-pro mode: Enhanced reasoning capabilities Future beta features: First access to experimental capabilities

For $200/month, you get unrestricted access to OpenAI's most powerful tools.

The Target Audience

Researchers: Solving complex problems requiring deep reasoning Enterprise professionals: Business intelligence, strategy, analysis Developers: Building AI products requiring extensive testing Content creators: High-volume professional content production

OpenAI wasn't targeting casual users. They were targeting professionals who bill $200+/hour.

The Backlash

"Too expensive": Most users saw no value at 10x the Plus price "Cash grab": Critics accused OpenAI of exploiting hype "Elitist AI": Creating a two-tier AI access system "Diminishing returns": Is Pro really that much better than Plus?

The pricing sparked intense debate about AI accessibility.

The Defense

For professionals using o1 heavily, the math worked:

• ChatGPT Plus: 50 o1 messages/week = $20/month
• API access: Could cost $500+/month for equivalent usage
• Time saved: If it saves 2 hours/month at $100/hour, it pays for itself

The Pro tier was cheaper than API access for power users.

The Business Model

OpenAI was testing price elasticity:

• How much will professionals pay?
• Can premium tiers subsidize free access?
• What's the ceiling for AI subscriptions?

ChatGPT Pro was a market research experiment disguised as a product tier.

The Competition Response

Anthropic: Claude remained $20/month (Pro tier coming later) Google: Gemini Advanced at $20/month with free reasoning Perplexity: Pro at $20/month Others: Nobody matched OpenAI's ultra-premium pricing

OpenAI created a tier nobody else competed in.

Where Are They Now?

ChatGPT Pro found its audience—smaller than Plus, but profitable. Researchers, enterprises, and power users who couldn't function without unlimited o1 access subscribed willingly.

The tier validated that AI power users exist and will pay premium prices. By early 2025, competitors began exploring their own premium tiers.

December 5, 2024 was when OpenAI tested whether AI had reached "professional tool" status—expensive, essential, and worth every penny to those who need it.