OpenAI’s rollout of group chats in ChatGPT is a small UX tweak with massive implications. On the surface, it’s a productivity tool for shared itineraries and brainstorming sessions. But underneath, it’s the perfect viral growth hack. It is a feature that invites users to bring their social graph into the product, without needing to build one. You don’t have to be Facebook; you just need a link. Every group becomes a mini-distribution node, a collaborative space that makes ChatGPT more useful the more people you add. And crucially, it embeds ChatGPT in everyday coordination and conversation flows, hence turning “use the AI” from a solo act into a default social behavior.
Group chats with embedded agents should have been Meta’s playground to dominate. They had the graph, the network effects, the messaging platforms, and a cultural monopoly on “where group conversations happen”. Instead, OpenAI ships it first. With no feed, no scrolling, and, for the moment, no ads. Just shared utility and a product experience that teaches users to loop ChatGPT into real-world decisions. This looks to me like a distribution disruption. Meta built the stadium. OpenAI just showed up with the ball, the scoreboard, and half the crowd (= 800 MAU).
