The news is out, and it is catching the tech world’s attention: OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is stepping into Google’s territory by launching a search engine. For years, Google has reigned as the dominant player in the search landscape, making any new entry with the potential to disrupt the industry a compelling story. While this search functionality is currently limited to paying users, OpenAI plans to open the search tool to all users in the future, meaning it could create waves big enough to unsettle Alphabet. Imagine a search experience without ads, designed to focus purely on delivering relevant information. Such a feature would likely appeal to users frustrated by ads that sometimes dilute the search experience. I think OpenAI’s decision to launch an ad-free search engine could be the real differentiator here. In a world where nearly every digital experience is laced with ads, a platform offering ad-free search results could be refreshing and, likely, very attractive to users. Alphabet’s reliance on ad revenue is intrinsic to its business model—revenue from Google Search in Q3 2024 was $49 billion. A substantial user base seeking fewer ads could impact it significantly.

Full opinion : OpenAI’s New Search Engine: What It Could Mean For Businesses.