OpenAI's choice to report Weekly Active Users (WAU) instead of the more standard Monthly Active Users (MAU) raises questions about how it presents its product growth. The only other major consumer technology product that uses WAU regularly is the iOS App Store, which reported 813 million weekly active visitors in June 2025. OpenAI announced it had 800 million WAU at its Developer Day in October, and by December, that number had reached nearly 900 million. However, this 12% growth over two months suggests a possibly low user retention, as many users may be cycling in and out. OpenAI's preference for WAU could strategically obscure comparisons with other tech products and highlight a trend that benefits from user churn. Reporting WAU allows the company to present seemingly strong growth figures while masking potential saturation in its user base. User retention isn't a permanent state; users can churn and return based on new content or updates. For ChatGPT, every model update could require significant investment without guaranteeing a return, especially since most users don’t pay. WAU can be engineered more easily than MAU, as companies might align content releases with optimal reporting periods to boost numbers. A high MAU/WAU ratio could indicate that the product is nearing saturation, presenting a less favorable growth outlook. For instance, if WAU approaches 1 billion while MAU exceeds 2 billion, the potential for future growth appears limited, raising concerns about the app's long-term viability. The choice between WAU and MAU isn't just a technicality; it reflects deeper dynamics in user engagement and retention that are crucial for understanding the product’s health.