They don't sell their models to individuals only but also to companies with most likely different business and pricing models so that's an overly simplistic view of their business. YoY their spending increases, we can safely assume that one of the reasons is the growing user base.

Time will probably come when we won't be allowed to consume frontier models without paying anything, as we can today, and time will come when this $30 will most likely become double or triple the price.

Though the truth is that R&D around AI models, and especially their hosting (inference), is expensive and won't get any cheaper without significant algorithmic improvements. According to the history, my opinion is that we may very well be ~10 years from that moment.

EDIT: HSBC has just published some projections. From https://archive.ph/9b8Ae#selection-4079.38-4079.42

> Total consumer AI revenue will be $129bn by 2030

> Enterprise AI will be generating $386bn in annual revenue by 2030

> OpenAI’s rental costs will be a cumulative $792bn between the current year and 2030, rising to $1.4tn by 2033

> OpenAI’s cumulative free cash flow to 2030 may be about $282bn

> Squaring the first total off against the second leaves a $207bn funding hole

So, yes, expensive (mind the rental costs only) ... but forseen to be penetrating into everything imagineable.

>> OpenAI’s cumulative free cash flow to 2030 may be about $282bn

According to who, OpenAI? It is almost certain they flat out lie about their numbers as suggested by their 20% revenue shares with MS.