ChatGPT's meteoric rise might be hitting some turbulence. New data from Sensor Tower shows the app's uninstall rate spiked 132% year over year in April, with an even sharper 413% jump in March right after OpenAI announced its Pentagon deal.
The app is still adding users, but the pace is slowing noticeably. Monthly active user growth dropped from 168% in January to 78% in April. That's still growth, but the deceleration is hard to ignore.
For context, ChatGPT still commands a substantially larger user base than competitors. But in a market where growth metrics drive valuations, slowing momentum could be a red flag for investors eyeing OpenAI's eventual IPO.
The timing matters because OpenAI has been positioning itself as the dominant player in consumer AI. If users are jumping ship to rivals or simply losing interest, that narrative gets harder to sell.
This could also reflect broader market maturation. Early adopters have made their choice, and now ChatGPT has to prove it can retain users and attract mainstream audiences who might be less forgiving of limitations or controversies.
For anyone building on OpenAI's platform or betting on its ecosystem, these numbers are worth watching. User engagement directly impacts API usage, enterprise adoption, and the overall health of the ChatGPT developer community.
