--- title: "OpenAI Massively Cuts Spending Plan as Reality Closes in" description: "OpenAI is telling investors it's targeting around $600 billion in total compute spend, under half of its original $1.4 trillion commitment." date: "2026-02-24" modified: "2026-02-24" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/openai-cuts-spending-plan" categories: - "Anthropic" - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Ethics" - "OpenAI" --- # OpenAI Massively Cuts Spending Plan as Reality Closes in ![OpenAI is telling investors it's targeting around $600 billion in total compute spend, under half of its original $1.4 trillion commitment.]() *Alex Wong/Getty Images* During a November podcast appearance alongside OpenAI investor Grad Gerstner, CEO Sam Altman [lost his cool](). After Gerstner [challenged]() him on how a company "with $13 billion in revenues" can "make $1.4 trillion of spend commitments" through 2030, Altman got catty. "If you want to sell your shares, I’ll find you a buyer," Altman snapped. "Enough." At the time, despite certain pangs of panic over a [growing AI bubble](), the hype was at an all-time high. OpenAI was already [burning through oodles of cash](), committing to spend hundreds of billions a year on data center buildouts. But the tone [has noticeably shifted]() since then, with investors growing uneasy about big tech companies trying to one-up each other with astronomical planned capital expenditures, further straining a stock market that's become massively overindexed on AI. Meanwhile, OpenAI has been watching as major competitors in the space [have made leaps and bounds]() to catch up with its early lead. Some, like Google, have deeply established revenue sources bankrolling at least a portion of their AI spending commitments. Now, Altman has seemingly noticed the company may be in way over its head. As [*CNBC* reports](), the company is now telling investors it's targeting around $600 billion in total compute spend by 2030, which is well under half of its original $1.4 trillion commitment. To put that into perspective, the company made just $13.1 billion in revenue for all of 2025 — while also burning through $8 billion, per *CNBC*'s sources. It's a massive downshift, highlighting the company's apparent attempt to calm investors, who've grown uneasy over massive spending plans. Tech companies including [Amazon]() and [Microsoft]() have seen their shares plummet earlier this year after announcing they remained devoted to their vast commitments. Altman had already [declared "code red]()" towards the end of last year, directing his workers to double down on ChatGPT at the cost of delaying other projects to keep up with an ever-stronger competition. The company has also announced that it will soon be [stuffing its blockbuster chatbot with ads](), news that was [met with derision from competitors](). The ongoing division seems to have strained relationships among AI executives. During an appearance alongside a dozen other industry and political leaders at the recent AI Summit in New Delhi, India, Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei [refused to hold hands]() after being instructed by prime minister Narendra Modi — in what [one Redditor]() described as a "cringe masterpiece." **More on Altman:** [*Sam Altman Fumes That It Takes Longer to Train a Human Than an AI, Plus They Eat All That Wasteful Food*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()