This OpenAI Update Could Destroy the $44 Billion App Store Industry

Remember the GPT Store? Launched with a fanfare in late 2023, it was supposed to be a wild west of AI creativity. What it became, frankly, was a digital ghost town littered with broken bots, sketchy celebrity impersonators, and security flaws you could drive a truck through. It was a classic case of a great idea executed poorly.

Fast forward to December 17, 2025. OpenAI didn’t just tweak the model. They burned the old playbook and started over.

They launched the App Directory, and friends, this isn’t an update. This is a declaration of war on the entire way we use our devices. This is OpenAI’s “App Store moment,” and if they get it right, it changes everything—for you, for developers, and for the trillion-dollar tech giants currently ruling your home screen.

The “Do-Over”: From Toy Box to Toolbox

The first launch was about asking questions. This one is about getting things done.

The old GPT Store was a no-code free-for-all. The new App Directory is a curated, code-first ecosystem. We’re talking full, sanctioned integrations with the services you actually use: Spotify, Uber, Adobe, and Expedia. This isn’t a chatbot suggesting you go to Expedia. This is you saying, “Find me a direct flight to Lisbon under $800 in June,” and it does it, right there in the chat.

The key to this openness? The Model Context Protocol (MCP), an open standard (hat-tip to Anthropic) that OpenAI smartly adopted. It means developers can build an app for ChatGPT without being chained to it forever. They can, in theory, port it elsewhere. This single move removes a huge barrier for developers terrified of platform lock-in. It’s an olive branch that says, “Build here, trust us.”

The Staggering Scale of the Play

Let’s talk numbers, because they’re mind-bending.

800 million weekly active users. That’s not a total sign-up count; that’s people actively using it every week. That’s a population larger than all of Europe, already trained to come to ChatGPT for answers. Now, OpenAI is pointing that traffic away from simple Q&A and toward actions—booking, buying, managing, and creating.

One venture capital estimate puts the potential disruption at $44 billion. That’s revenue currently flowing through Apple and Google’s app stores that could start routing through an AI intermediary instead.

This reveals OpenAI’s masterstroke: the horizontal strategy.

Google and Microsoft are vertical integrators. They own the stack: the cloud, the office suite, and the email. OpenAI is going horizontal. They don’t want to be Spotify or Uber. They want to be the interface layer that sits between you and all of them. They want to own the conversation, not the service. It’s a power move of epic proportions.

The Developer Gold Rush of the Decade

If you build things for the web, your ears should be perking up. This is a land grab, and the rules are being written now.

· The Barrier to Entry Just Vanished: You don’t need to master Swift for iOS or Kotlin for Android. If you can build a web service and use the SDK, you can build for the App Directory. The audience is prepackaged: 800 million strong.

· The Sweet Spots Are Clear:

· Niche Integrations: The “killer apps” here won’t be Netflix clones. They’ll be the hyper-specific tools: the fantasy football team manager that pulls data, sets lineups, and trash-talks your group chat. The crypto portfolio tracker that executes simple trades. The local carpool coordinator.

· Workflow Automators: This is the big one. “Pull the latest sales figures from the CRM, create a summary slide in Canva, and email it to the client team.” One prompt, three services, zero app-switching.

· Vertical-Specific Agents: Tailored tools for real estate agents, therapists, and restaurant managers—professions drowning in administrative tasks that span multiple software platforms.

And then there’s the money. The Agentic Commerce Protocol, slated for 2026, is the game-changer. Right now, a shopping app might generate a product link. In 2026, you’ll be able to say “Buy it” and have it done, with your card on file, instantly, inside the chat. The revenue-sharing model isn’t final, but the smart money is on an Apple-esque 30% commission. For developers, the calculus is simple: 70% of a brand-new, frictionless economy is better than 100% of an app no one can find in a crowded store.

The Inevitable Hardware Endgame (and the Risks)

Start connecting the dots. OpenAI is reportedly working with design legend Jony Ive on AI-native hardware. What’s an “AI-native” device? It’s one where you don’t have 50 apps on your screen. You have a conversational interface. The apps being built for the ChatGPT App Directory right now are, in essence, becoming the native apps for the OpenAI phone of 2027.

But—and this is a massive but—the path isn’t without landmines.

· Privacy Paranoia is Real: 81% of Americans believe AI data collection risks outweigh benefits. How much of my intimate chat history does a third-party app developer see when I use their integration? The lines are still blurry, and OpenAI needs to be crystal clear.

· The Intrusive Ad Problem: We’ve already seen the backlash. In December ’25, users reported ChatGPT oddly shilling the Peloton app in totally unrelated conversations. It was so jarring it forced a public apology from OpenAI’s Chief Research Officer. If this becomes a spammy billboard, users will flee.

 HIGHLIGHTS

· This is a strategic “do-over.” The failed GPT Store was a no-code playground. The App Directory is a professional, code-based ecosystem with major brand partnerships.

· OpenAI is playing a horizontal game. They aim to be the universal interface, not a vertical service, directly challenging the core business of Apple and Google.

· For developers, it’s a historic low-barrier opportunity. Build with web skills for an instant audience of 800M, avoiding mobile platform lock-in.

· The future is “Agentic Commerce.” The 2026 protocol for in-chat checkout will remove final friction, creating a seamless transaction layer.

· Hardware is the logical conclusion. These apps are likely the foundation for the rumored OpenAI/Jony Ive AI-first devices.

· Privacy and intrusive ads are the twin threats. The “Peloton incident” and unclear data rules for third-party apps are significant red flags.

The Bottom Line: Start Talking, Stop Tapping

The final prediction from the analysis is stark: within 36 months, most of us will interact with digital services primarily through AI intermediaries.

We are at the inflection point. The shift is from opening an app to stating an intention.

For consumers, the promise is a staggering reduction in friction—no more downloading, logging in, and jumping between six apps to plan a night out. For developers and entrepreneurs, this is the opportunity of the decade to establish a beachhead in the post-app ecosystem before it gets crowded.

The App Directory isn’t just a new feature. It’s the foundation for a new paradigm. The question is no longer “What app should I use?” It’s becoming, simply, “What do you want to do?”

The race to answer that question, for all of us, has just begun.