Is OpenAI Building the Super App That Mark Zuckerberg Couldn’t?
Are you also wondering what OpenAI’s business model could be that justifies those eye-watering valuations and billion-dollar investments? The B2B side of the business is fairly obvious — enterprise API access, custom models, and AI infrastructure for businesses. But what about the B2C side and #ChatGPT?
My guess? OpenAI is quietly building a SuperApp.
The Quest for the Western WeChat
For years, tech observers and investors have been asking the same question: who will build the Western equivalent of WeChat? China’s super app seamlessly integrates messaging, payments, e-commerce, ride-hailing, food delivery, and countless other services into a single platform. It’s the app Chinese users open dozens of times per day for nearly everything they need.
Western tech giants have tried and largely failed to replicate this model. Facebook attempted it. Google tried with various initiatives. And Mark Zuckerberg probably bought WhatsApp with the grand vision of turning it into the WeChat of the West. That never worked out — WhatsApp remained primarily a messaging app, and Meta’s attempts to bolt on payments and commerce felt forced rather than natural.
OpenAI’s Building Blocks
But now, it looks like we’re finally getting an answer to that decade-old question. OpenAI has been steadily rolling out the building blocks for exactly such a super app:
Agentic e-commerce: AI agents that can research products, compare options, and make purchasing decisions on your behalf
In-app checkout: Direct purchasing capabilities without leaving ChatGPT
Agent builder: Tools that let users create custom AI agents for specific tasks
App store: A marketplace for AI applications and capabilities
Sora: A never-ending stream of AI-generated content that could draw users into the app repeatedly, much like TikTok’s addictive feed
The only missing piece to complete the puzzle? Payments!
Why ChatGPT Might Succeed Where Others Failed
The difference between OpenAI’s approach and Meta’s WhatsApp strategy is fundamental. Meta tried to add super app features onto an existing messaging platform. The services felt like add-ons because that’s exactly what they were.
ChatGPT, on the other hand, starts from a different premise entirely. It’s not a messaging app trying to become more — it’s an AI assistant that can naturally encompass all these functions. Need to buy something? Chat with an AI agent. Want entertainment? Generate content with Sora. Looking for specific tools? Browse the app store. The integration feels organic because AI assistance is inherently multi-functional.
In an AI age, it actually makes perfect sense that the first true Western super app wouldn’t be built on social networking or messaging, but on artificial intelligence. AI is the ultimate universal interface — it can handle shopping, entertainment, productivity, communication, and services all through the same conversational paradigm.
OpenAI's Valuation Question
This brings us back to the original question: does this justify OpenAI’s massive valuation? If ChatGPT successfully becomes the super app of the AI age, capturing even a fraction of the diverse revenue streams that WeChat enjoys in China, then suddenly those numbers start to make more sense. Kind of.
We’re not just talking about API subscriptions and ChatGPT Plus memberships. We’re talking about transaction fees from e-commerce, revenue shares from the app marketplace, advertising opportunities within AI-generated content, and potentially payment processing fees. The total addressable market expands dramatically.
Still Early Days
Of course, this is all speculative. OpenAI faces significant challenges: competition from Google, Microsoft, and Anthropic; regulatory hurdles around AI and payments; and the fundamental challenge of changing user behavior. Just because you build a super app doesn’t mean users will treat it as one.
But the pieces are falling into place in a way that’s hard to ignore. Whether intentional from the start or an emergent strategy, OpenAI appears to be assembling exactly what a Western super app would need in 2025 and beyond.
Perhaps ChatGPT will succeed where Meta failed. In the age of AI, that would make perfect sense, wouldn’t it?
Btw, want to learn more about how to Re-Thinking Digital in the West with ideas & strategies from Disruptive China? Then check out our Re-Thinking Digital Workshops series…
