On November 30, 2022, OpenAI quietly introduced ChatGPT as “a model that interacts in a conversational way.” Three years later, the tool has transformed nearly every sector of business and technology, becoming one of the most influential AI products ever released.
ChatGPT has remained a global hit, still sitting at the top of Apple’s free app rankings, and has sparked a wave of generative AI products that continue to redefine how people work, learn, and communicate. As its influence grows, so do concerns about how deeply AI will reshape society.
“Empire of AI” author Karen Hao recently argued that OpenAI has “grown more powerful than pretty much any nation-state in the world,” saying the company is now “rewiring our geopolitics, all of our lives.”
Meanwhile, writer Charlie Warzel described this era as “the world ChatGPT built”, one defined by uncertainty, rapid change, and the feeling that the next big disruption could arrive at any moment.
Young people preparing to enter the workforce face a job landscape that feels increasingly unpredictable, while older workers are warned that familiar careers and skill sets may soon look unrecognizable. Yet at the same time, AI investors and tech optimists are waiting eagerly to see whether their massive bets on the technology will pay off.
Beyond cultural shifts, ChatGPT has also reshaped global markets. Bloomberg reports that the biggest financial winner so far is Nvidia, whose stock has surged 979% since ChatGPT’s debut. The momentum of AI has also boosted other tech giants, Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Broadcom, which now make up 35% of the S&P 500’s total weighting, up from 20% just three years ago.
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This extraordinary growth has led many executives to acknowledge what some are calling an AI “bubble.”
“Someone is going to lose a phenomenal amount of money in AI,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in August.
Bret Taylor, Sierra CEO and OpenAI board chair, echoed the sentiment, comparing the moment to the dot-com boom. Still, he believes AI will ultimately “create huge economic value,” much like the internet did.
As ChatGPT enters its fourth year, the world is watching closely, waiting to see whether this explosive phase of AI innovation stabilizes, accelerates, or transforms society in ways no one has yet predicted.
