Some GPT Store developers express disappointment by the lack of users and OpenAI not offering user analytics; OpenAI does not yet let developers charge money
Last fall, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sought to capitalize on the raging success of ChatGPT by launching an app store.
Context & Ripple Effects
OpenAI launched the GPT Store for paid users with a plan to share revenue, after users had already created millions of custom chatbots. This report shows the early gap between that supply and a workable developer platform: the promised revenue-sharing model had not yet translated into tools creators could use to measure demand or sell directly.
The issue is not merely creator dissatisfaction. A store can turn ChatGPT’s audience into a distribution channel only if developers can identify usage, improve their products, and establish an economic return.
First-order effects
- GPT Store creators lack both direct monetization and user analytics, limiting their ability to assess whether a GPT is reaching users or justify continued development.
- OpenAI retains control over discovery, usage data, and the eventual commercial terms for GPTs, while developers have few levers to validate or capture demand.
Second-order effects
- Developers may prioritize standalone products or other distribution channels where they can price offerings and observe customer behavior, reducing the incentive to invest in store-specific GPTs.
- Without analytics-based iteration and clear earnings, the store risks accumulating low-maintenance experiments rather than differentiated GPTs that improve discovery and repeat use.
Third-order effects
- The episode highlights a core platformization trade-off: AI platforms can aggregate distribution quickly, but durable third-party ecosystems require transparent measurement and credible monetization.
- If OpenAI continues to centralize those controls, GPT creation may resemble a feature layer inside ChatGPT rather than an independent app economy; later limited, invite-only revenue sharing would reinforce that risk.
The trend: Generative-AI platforms are moving from open-ended creation toward the harder task of building sustainable developer distribution and commercialization systems.