ChatGPT Plus subscriptions are being listed on eBay after OpenAI blocked signups

• OpenAI boss Sam Altman said on Wednesday that the company would pause new ChatGPT Plus signups.
• Some users have responded by listing ChatGPT Plus account details on eBay.

ChatGPT Plus subscriptions are cropping up on eBay after Sam Altman said the company was pausing new signups due to a surge in demand.

OpenAI boss Sam Altman announced this week that the company would temporarily stop new sign-ups of its $20-a-month ChatGPT Plus subscription — and it seems that some users are now trying to take advantage by selling account details on eBay, though at discounted prices.

Listings selling access to OpenAI's paid version of ChatGPT, which includes a more powerful version of its GPT model, have appeared on the site following Altman's announcement.

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"We are pausing new ChatGPT Plus sign-ups for a bit," the OpenAI boss said in a post on X.

"The surge in usage post devday has exceeded our capacity and we want to make sure everyone has a great experience," he said.

OpenAI's first developer conference in San Francisco last week saw the company announce a huge range of updates and new products based on its GPT model, including a "GPT store" that will let users build their own custom versions of ChatGPT and a "Copyright Shield" that will defend some customers and pay costs incurred if they face legal claims around copyright infringement.

The AI startup has rapidly become one of Silicon Valley's biggest cash cows, thanks to the stratospheric rise of ChatGPT and new paid tiers like ChatGPT Plus, which the company announced in February.

The Information reported earlier this year that OpenAI is closing in on $1 billion in annual revenue, with the company also reportedly in discussions over a share sale that would value it at up to $90 billion.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.