- Speculation that OpenAI could buy Pinterest sparked an intense reaction from some Pinterest users.
- They worry that AI could disrupt one of the Internet’s last largely user-curated creative spaces.
- The rumor, which originated as a prediction rather than a reported agreement, boosted Pinterest’s stock price.
The idea that OpenAI could acquire Pinterest was born from a speculative predictions article by The informationbut it was enough to spark outrage among many Pinterest users and boost Pinterest’s stock price even without any kind of official statement. On Reddit and other corners of the internet, longtime Pinterest users did not hesitate to express their revulsion at the potential move.
The original prediction framed the acquisition as a logical extension of OpenAI’s strategy. The company could tap into Pinterest’s rich image archive, existing advertising channels and store connections to help develop its own generative business ambitions.
OpenAI’s image models and Sora’s video generation tools are already advancing rapidly. Combining them with Pinterest’s consumer-oriented curation engine and shoppable inspiration catalog could be a shortcut to achieving your goals. That likely helped fuel Pinterest’s stock rally.
But Pinterest users care about more than just logistics or stock prices. They have questions about control and creativity after OpenAI acquired the platform they spend so much time on. Disgust at the idea of AI filling their digital scrapbooks permeated the reactions.
On Reddit’s r/Pinterest, the reaction was swift and emotional. “But seriously, this is really depressing. I hate that AI is present in every corner of my life,” one user wrote. “I know we JUST started the new year, but I desperately need it to be April Fools’ Day right now,” wrote another.
Many expressed the opinion that Pinterest feels like the last social platform that still belongs to its users. People use it to gather ideas, plan renovations, collect recipes, design weddings, map out fantasy shelves, and other speculative dreams.
Some promised to download their boards and leave the platform entirely if the purchase actually went through. Many didn’t like the idea that their creative ideas, mood boards, or just half-formulated plans could become training material for artificial intelligence tools.
Opposition to AI from Pinterest users
While AI-generated images and summaries are included in Google results, Amazon listings, Canva templates, and even weather apps, Pinterest’s use of AI has been largely experimental, involving visual search, personalized feeds, and a ChatGPT-style search tool. But the user experience is still focused on manual curation. You choose what goes on your board.
Arguably, that digital behavior built around collection and visual thinking may be exactly what OpenAI wants to harness. That mismatch between intention and perception is why speculation seems so loaded.
To be clear, there is no concrete agreement in place. The information’s prediction was one of many forward-looking statements about 2026, not a report based on insider information. No company has confirmed any interest. But even without an actual movement, the reaction shows that the mere possibility is enough to ignite a cultural flare.
If it were acquired by OpenAI, the brand would likely have to work overtime to assure users that its dashboards would not become raw material for machine learning processes. The intensity of the backlash suggests that the story of consumer integration of AI is far from settled. People are still deciding where to draw the line. And some may simply tune out entirely rather than be forced into the AI space.
“I was a beta user of Pinterest in 2010. 3 years later, when Google Reader was killed, I went and pinned all my saved blog posts. I planned parties, designed my living spaces, made wish lists, and discovered my personal style, plus I learned how to be a better person and parent,” wrote one Reddit user. “I’m very disheartened by this, it’s a huge loss. More reasons to tune out.”
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