Behind the Numbers: Is ChatGPT the Next Operating System? What That Means for Google and AI Devices

Podcast: Behind the Numbers: an EMARKETER Podcast
Host: Marcus Johnson (A)
Guests: Yuri Wormser, Principal Analyst, Advertising/Media/Tech (B); Grace Harmon, AI & Tech Analyst (C)
Date: October 24, 2025

Overview

This episode explores the emerging possibility that OpenAI’s ChatGPT could evolve into the next operating system (OS) for personal and professional computing—challenging the dominance of traditional platforms like Google and Apple. Marcus Johnson is joined by Yuri Wormser and Grace Harmon to dissect how ChatGPT’s new app integrations might turn it into a “super app” and what that means for search, device makers, marketers, and ordinary users.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. ChatGPT as the Next OS: Vision and Practice ([02:41] – [06:20])

• The Move: OpenAI is offering ChatGPT as a platform for app developers, aiming for ChatGPT to become tomorrow’s operating system.
• How It Could Work:
  “Imagine like your phone, your laptop, but instead of everything being built around apps or icons, it’s built around just a really capable AI that’s running the show... The device itself would work more like a living assistant than a piece of hardware with apps just slapped on top of it.”
  —Grace Harmon [04:11]
• Comparison to Super Apps: The evolution draws parallels to WeChat’s mini programs, but Western markets remain more fragmented.
• Current Limitation:
  “I don’t know that you could at all compare it to WeChat at this point, but I think that OpenAI is definitely pushing in that direction.”
  —Grace Harmon [05:25]
• Ecosystem Differences: WeChat succeeded because Chinese internet was less developed; OpenAI faces entrenched web and app ecosystems.

2. App Integrations—Most Useful Categories ([06:20] – [07:36])

• Early Stars:
  • Productivity (scheduling assistants, trip planners, finance bots).
  • Context-aware tools that use real-world data (calendar, location, camera, voice).
  • Vertical information providers like Zillow are expected to thrive within ChatGPT. “That category of apps are going to grow rapidly.”
    —Yuri Wormser [07:10]

3. Will ChatGPT Replace Google as the Gateway to the Internet? ([07:36] – [09:29])

• Current Outlook: Migration from Google Search to ChatGPT will be “really slow.”
  “People are not walking away from Google search. They’re not walking away from traditional search engines.”
  —Grace Harmon [08:19]
• Long-Tail Impact:
  “Referrals are going to go down from search to a lot of sites. The long tail of the web is going to be hit hard by that. But the sites that have dedicated and loyal users… people will still go to that directly.”
  —Yuri Wormser [08:39]
• Integration: Many users will combine AI- and Google-based search.

4. Data Sharing and Privacy Concerns ([09:29] – [11:01])

• Major Question: How much user conversation data will be available to third-party apps within ChatGPT?
• OpenAI’s Approach: Developers must collect the minimum data needed and be transparent about permissions.
• Potential Risks:
  “That could be a significant amount of data that you’re getting from someone if you’re getting whole conversations versus just a couple of messages.”
  —Marcus Johnson [10:15]
• Comparison to Meta:
  “I think OpenAI… are perhaps moving a little bit more slowly with their public policies around user privacy data… I think it would be easier to scare people off with straight up AI tools like OpenAI if they implement those policies too quickly.”
  —Grace Harmon [10:24]

5. Monetization: How Will OpenAI Make Money? ([11:01] – [13:24])

• Current State: Despite huge revenues, OpenAI faces continued losses.
• Emerging Strategies:
  • Instant checkout (buying through chatbot integrations).
  • Surfacing relevant apps with potential for paid placement (e.g., Airbnb vs. Vrbo).
  • Commerce integrations and affiliate models.
  • Advertising surrounding answers (but caution about compromising trust within direct answers). “I’m doubtful that they’re going to do preferred integration into the actual answers because so much is based on the trust of the answer as an agent.”
    —Yuri Wormser [12:19]

6. Impact on Google: Platform Shift and Disruption Timeline ([13:24] – [15:38])

• Current Disruption Level:
  “For this year, maybe like two and a half [out of ten]… A lot of the stats… are usually out of gen AI users, not out of general consumers… It’s still only on slow momentum.”
  —Grace Harmon [14:03]
• Looking to 2026:
  • Gradual change, likely to hit an “inflection point.”
  • Google’s current business model may be disrupted, but Google as a company is expected to remain strong. “The old CPC model might be significantly disrupted by the end of 2026.”
    —Yuri Wormser [15:38]

7. Google’s Response: Will They Imitate OpenAI? ([15:38] – [16:12])

• Prediction: Google will integrate its own apps, especially Maps and Shopping, with better AI fusions—then extend to third-party app integrations.

8. AI Devices and the Future of Hardware ([16:12] – [20:56])

• Device Integration:
  • AI-driven OS may shift importance away from iOS/Android to an AI assistant layer.
  • Smart glasses, ambient computers, and reimagined smartwatches are on the horizon.
• Apple’s Position:
  • Apple is in a “vulnerable spot” if it can’t evolve Siri and maintain dominance.
  • AI-first operating systems could redefine market leadership. “If OpenAI or anyone else builds an AI first operating system, I think that kind of rewrites the playbook and then it’s not about iOS versus Android, it’s about who has the most helpful AI layer.”
    —Grace Harmon [18:51]
• Demand for New Form Factors:
  • Significant interest for wearables like smart glasses.
  • Skepticism about screenless, non-wearable AI devices. “Sam Altman’s mystery device is reportedly one without a screen. I agree with Grace, that’s hard to see how that would take off.”
    —Yuri Wormser [20:25]
• Apple’s Window for Response:
  • Apple Intelligence is promising, but execution is crucial. “They just haven’t shipped it, they haven’t delivered on that vision and that’s, I think what’s leaving an opening for others.”
    —Yuri Wormser [20:38]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Imagine like your phone, your laptop, but instead of everything being built around apps or icons, it's built around just a really capable AI that's running the show.”
  —Grace Harmon [04:11]

• “It’s not about iOS versus Android, it’s about who has the most helpful AI layer.”
  —Grace Harmon [18:51]

• “The old CPC model might be significantly disrupted by the end of 2026.”
  —Yuri Wormser [15:38]

• “I’m doubtful that they’re going to do preferred integration into the actual answers because so much is based on the trust of the answer as an agent.”
  —Yuri Wormser [12:19]

• “People are not walking away from Google search… While there’s a pickup with AI search, it is not anywhere near replacing it.”
  —Grace Harmon [08:19]

Timeline of Major Segments

• 03:00 – ChatGPT as an operating system: the concept and early comparisons
• 06:20 – Which app integrations will lead in ChatGPT?
• 08:19 – Will ChatGPT disrupt Google Search? Analysis of user behavior and web impacts
• 09:29 – Data sharing, privacy, and how developers will interact with user information
• 11:01 – OpenAI’s revenue and monetization strategies for integrated apps
• 13:24 – How rapidly will this disrupt Google (now, and by 2026)?
• 15:38 – Google’s likely strategy to mimic and compete in the new paradigm
• 16:12 – Impacts on consumer devices, wearables, and Apple’s vulnerability
• 18:51 – Demand for new form factors and Apple’s execution challenge

Summary

The panel provides a grounded yet forward-looking perspective on ChatGPT’s trajectory from chatbot to possible “OS of the future.” Integration with third-party apps and context-aware tools points toward a future shaped as much by AI’s capabilities as by traditional hardware and app ecosystems. While change will be gradual, the panel agrees that the competition between AI-first platforms, app ecosystems, and device leaders will define the next generation of consumer and enterprise technology. Google’s search dominance, Apple’s device primacy, and the entire commerce and advertising model may be up for grabs as users migrate, slowly at first, toward “the most helpful AI layer.”