OpenAI may soon let you ‘sign in with ChatGPT’ for other apps

OpenAI is exploring a "Sign in with ChatGPT" feature for third-party apps, potentially leveraging its 600 million monthly active users to compete with established sign-in services from Apple, Google, and Microsoft. The company is currently gauging developer interest and has already tested the feature with its Codex CLI tool, offering API credits to Plus and Pro users who integrate their accounts. While CEO Sam Altman hinted at this possibility in 2023, the initiative appears to be gaining momentum in 2025, though the launch date and participating companies remain undisclosed.

Analysis

OpenAI is strategically exploring the introduction of a "Sign in with ChatGPT" feature, aiming to leverage its substantial user base of approximately 600 million monthly active users to penetrate the third-party application sign-in market. This initiative, which CEO Sam Altman alluded to in 2023 and appears to be under more serious development in 2025, positions OpenAI as a potential competitor to established identity providers such as Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOGL, GOOG), and Microsoft (MSFT). The company is actively gauging interest from developers, targeting a wide spectrum of application sizes, from those with fewer than 1,000 weekly users to major platforms exceeding 100 million weekly users. A preliminary test of this sign-in capability was conducted within OpenAI's Codex CLI, incentivizing ChatGPT Plus and Pro users with $5 and $50 in API credits, respectively, to connect their accounts. While the general sentiment surrounding this development is moderately positive with a moderate market impact score of 0.55, the per-ticker sentiment for AAPL, GOOGL, and MSFT is slightly negative (-0.15), reflecting the anticipated competitive pressure. The timeline for a full launch and the extent of developer commitment remain undisclosed, introducing an element of uncertainty to its immediate market impact. This move aligns with themes of Artificial Intelligence advancement and Technology & Innovation, while also prompting considerations around Cybersecurity & Data Privacy associated with expanded user data access.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Investors should reassess the competitive positioning and potential for market share erosion for incumbent identity providers like Apple, Google, and Microsoft, given OpenAI's entry with a significant existing user base.
• Monitor developer adoption rates and key partnership announcements for the "Sign in with ChatGPT" feature, as these will serve as leading indicators of its disruptive potential and impact on the user authentication landscape.
• Factor in the increased data access OpenAI would gain through such a service, evaluating both the potential enhancement to its AI models and the heightened cybersecurity and data privacy risks, which could influence regulatory scrutiny and user trust.
• Consider this development as indicative of a broader trend where leading AI companies expand horizontally into platform services, potentially requiring adjustments to investment theses for various technology sub-sectors beyond core AI development.