Hey friend,
Something big happened this week that most people missed. For the first time since ChatGPT launched in late 2022, a competitor just out-earned it — and it's not who you'd expect. Anthropic hit $30 billion in annualized revenue, officially surpassing OpenAI's $25 billion. Meanwhile, both companies dropped major new tools this week that could seriously change how you earn money online. You're getting the full breakdown before everyone else catches up.
THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
Claude Just Out-Earned ChatGPT — Here's the Side Hustle Angle Nobody Is Talking About
Anthropic's revenue crossed $30 billion annualized this month, surpassing OpenAI's $25 billion for the first time in history. Just 15 months ago, Anthropic was at $1 billion ARR — that's a 30x jump while OpenAI only doubled in the same period. One survey also found that Claude users earn significantly more than users of any other AI assistant. The enterprise world has voted with its wallet.
How you can use this: If you're pitching AI services to clients, lead with Claude. Enterprise companies are already paying for it, and they're willing to pay you more to implement and optimize it. Claude expertise is now a premium skill.
OpenAI's New Image Tool Is Sending Freelance Designers Into Panic Mode (And Creating a Huge Opportunity)
OpenAI just launched ChatGPT Images 2.0 (GPT Image 2) — the first image model that actually reasons before it creates. The result: near-perfect text in images, coherent multi-image sets, and design-ready visuals that look like real mockups. Some designers are calling it "the end of graphic design." Smart ones are seeing it as a 10x speed multiplier.
How you can use this: Offer branded social media packs, ad creatives, and product mockups for clients. Use GPT Image 2 to produce 20-30 polished brand assets for $500-$1,500/month as a retainer. Your speed advantage over traditional designers is now enormous — lean into it.
Anthropic Just Dropped a Visual Design Tool That Could Replace Your Entire Design Stack
Anthropic launched Claude Design this week: type a description and it builds pitch decks, one-pagers, prototypes, and marketing assets — automatically styled to match your brand's Figma files and design system. It exports to PDF, PPTX, HTML, and Canva. It's currently in free research preview for Claude Pro and Max subscribers.
How you can use this: Offer "AI pitch deck" or "brand kit" services on Fiverr or LinkedIn. One client project = $300-$800. Actual time investment: 20-30 minutes. The on-brand consistency is the killer feature — clients will pay a premium for that.
Read more → https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/17/anthropic-launches-claude-design-a-new-product-for-creating-quick-visuals/
Custom GPTs Are Dead — OpenAI's Replacement Is Way More Powerful (and Free Until May 6)
OpenAI officially replaced Custom GPTs with Workspace Agents — AI that plugs directly into Slack, Salesforce, Google Drive, and more to handle complex multi-step workflows across your entire business stack. They're free until May 6th, then go to credit-based pricing. Automation consultants who move fast here will have a field day.
How you can use this: Set up Workspace Agents for small business clients before the free window closes. Charge $500-$2,000 to build and configure, then $200-$500/month for ongoing management. Post on LinkedIn about the May 6th deadline — urgency sells.
TOOL OF THE WEEK
Claude Design (by Anthropic)
What it does: Turns plain-English prompts into branded presentations, prototypes, and marketing assets — and reads your Figma files to stay on-brand automatically.
How to make money: Offer pitch deck creation or brand starter kit services on Fiverr, Upwork, or LinkedIn. One project = $300-$800. Four projects per week = $1,200-$3,200. The tool handles the hard part (design consistency), so you just manage the client.
Free or paid? Free in research preview — you need a Claude Pro subscription ($20/month) or Max plan.
SIDE HUSTLE SPOTLIGHT
Build Make.com Automation Workflows for Local Businesses
Here's what's working right now: small businesses are drowning in repetitive tasks — lead follow-up, invoice generation, appointment reminders, social posting — and will pay well to have it automated. Use Make.com alongside ChatGPT or Claude to build no-code workflows that connect their existing tools.
What to do: Target real estate agents, law firms, and e-commerce stores. Audit their repetitive workflows on a free 30-minute call, then quote a setup fee.
Time investment: 3-6 hours per client to build the workflow.
Realistic earnings: $500-$3,000 per workflow setup + $200-$500/month for maintenance. Land 3 recurring clients = $600-$1,500/month in near-passive income.
QUICK HITS
OpenAI's GPT-5.5 just launched and is rolling out to Plus and Pro users this week — early benchmarks show it's their strongest model yet, edging out Claude Mythos on several tests.
ElevenLabs (the AI voice platform) is now valued at $11 billion and eyeing an IPO. Faceless YouTube channels using their AI voices are pulling in $500-$10,000/month — and the barrier to entry is still surprisingly low.
Prompt engineer salaries hit an average of $146,000/year in 2026. If you're skilled at directing AI tools, that skill is now worth more than a CS degree at many companies.
A Midjourney creator is earning $2,400/month selling AI travel posters on Etsy — started with a $30/month Midjourney subscription and hit 200+ sales in six months.
That's a wrap on another wild week in AI. The window to get ahead of these tools is still open — but every week it gets a little smaller. Glad you're here getting ahead of it.
See you Thursday with more ways to make AI work for your bank account.
— The Minted by AI Team
P.S. Next issue: the new wave of "AI employees" that small businesses are actually hiring — and how you can be the one building them.
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