OpenAI has hired David Dugan, a longtime ads leader at Meta, as the AI firm’s vice president and head of global ads solutions, a move that signals a more deliberate push into building out its ads business as it looks to scale revenue beyond subscriptions.
Dugan, who spent more than a decade at Meta, most recently as vice president of Meta’s global clients and agencies division, announced the move in a LinkedIn post. He will report to Brad Lightcap, OpenAI’s chief operating officer, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Framing the opportunity, Dugan pointed to the scale and sensitivity of advertising inside ChatGPT. “This is a brand new model that’s going to re-shape the industry” he wrote, adding that the ads experience will be “governed by clear principles” and designed to be additive rather than disruptive. Early efforts will center on ad solutions within ChatGPT’s consumer product, which is currently in alpha testing.
The hire lands as OpenAI quietly assembles the infrastructure for an ads business. The company has been building out its adtech stack, including an ads manager, as previously reported by ADWEEK. Holding companies like Omnicom, WPP, and Dentsu are already lining up to test inventory on ChatGPT, which the company says has more than 900 million weekly active users. Early brand partners—including AppLovin, WIRED, and Best Buy—have begun running ads in pilot programs.
Those placements don’t come cheap. OpenAI has asked for a minimum commitment of $200,000 from brands looking to run ads inside ChatGPT, ADWEEK previously reported. The company has also emphasized that ads will not influence the chatbot’s responses, and that user conversations won’t be sold to advertisers.
Dugan’s remit is likely to extend beyond product into relationships. He brings with him deep ties across the ad industry—connections that could prove critical as OpenAI attempts to translate early curiosity into sustained media spend.
