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OpenAI Is Selling a $70 ChatGPT Basketball
OpenAI’s new merch drop includes a $70 ChatGPT basketball, alongside a $230 mini keyboard and branded apparel.
Image: TechCrunch
OpenAI’s first hardware launch this week was a $230 mini keyboard, pitched as a “command center for agentic work.” But the company also slipped out something far less expected: a $70 ChatGPT basketball.
According to the product listing, “This basketball comes from the Pause. Play. Prompt. campaign, a physical reminder that creativity doesn’t just live on our screens.” TechCrunch says it could not find any other mention of the “Pause. Play. Prompt.” campaign on OpenAI’s website.
The ball itself is made of 100% rubber, which makes it better suited to outdoor play than the leather basketballs used on professional courts. TechCrunch notes that the $70 price works out to roughly 56 million input tokens for GPT-5.
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OpenAI is also selling a broader line of merchandise with slogans aimed at its research-heavy image. One item carries the phrase “Good research takes time,” while a $175 quarter-zip has “research” written in cursive. Its product description says it “features a crisp collar that reminisces on our days in academia.”
TechCrunch’s Amanda Silberling frames the drop as an odd fit for a company better known for chatbots and developer tools than consumer lifestyle products. Still, the merch push arrives as OpenAI expands beyond software, with branded physical goods now sitting alongside its first hardware release.
Enterprise Editor
Marcus follows the money. He covers enterprise software, cloud architecture, and the tectonic shifts in Big Tech strategy. He translates dense earnings calls and complex M&A activity into actionable insights about where the industry is actually heading. If a tech giant makes a silent pivot, Marcus is usually the first to notice.
via TechCrunch
