Why ChatGPT is a bad name despite its success

Whatever ChatGPT was called, it was always going to blow up—because it got so much else right, including being the first to throw AI open.

Still, ChatGPT sounds like a placeholder name the engineers forgot to change before launch. It’s clunky, technical, and limits the product to being seen narrowly as a tool. Compare it to Claude or DeepMind and you may start to see the point.

Good names don’t have to describe the product. Sure, smooth descriptive names like Paystack can work well—especially for speeding up awareness early on. But names that evoke a feeling—like Revolut, Apple or Smileys—leave more room for your brand to mean more to people over time.

There are also the seemingly ‘mean-nothing’ names like Gala, Mono, and Nord, which hand you a blank canvas to infuse emotion and build meaning over time.

A good name won’t make your business succeed, but if you get everything else right, it can tilt the odds a little more in your favour.

PS. I asked ChatGPT what it thinks: “I actually agree with your reasons. ‘ChatGPT’ is a mouthful, feels technical/difficult, and suggests a utility tool, not something you might trust, identify with, or aspire to.”