OpenAI Acquires Roi to Power Next-Gen Personalized AI Experiences
OpenAI Acquires Roi to Power Next-Gen Personalized AI Experiences
OpenAI has made another strategic move to boost its consumer-facing AI products by acquiring Roi, an AI-driven personal finance app. Unlike traditional acquisitions, this deal is an acqui-hire: only Roi’s CEO and co-founder, Sujith Vishwajith, will join OpenAI, while the service itself will shut down for users by October 15.
Why Roi? A Step Toward Personalized AI
Founded in 2022 and backed by well-known investors, Roi was designed to aggregate a user’s entire financial portfolio—stocks, crypto, real estate, even NFTs—into one app. The platform offered highly personalized financial insights and enabled users to make trades, all powered by an adaptive AI companion. Users could customize their experience by sharing their profession and preferred communication style, making financial advice more relevant and engaging.
- Roi’s AI adjusted its tone and recommendations to match individual user preferences.
- Its mission: make investing accessible and personal for everyone.
- Raised $3.6 million from investors including Balaji Srinivasan, Spark Capital, and more.
Personalization: The Next Frontier for OpenAI
This acquisition fits a growing theme at OpenAI: building more personal, adaptive AI tools for daily life. Roi’s expertise in personalization aligns with OpenAI’s recent launches, such as:
- Pulse: Automated, personalized news and content briefs for users.
- Sora: A TikTok-style app filled with AI-generated content featuring user cameos.
- Instant Checkout: Shop and purchase directly through ChatGPT.
OpenAI has made similar acqui-hires this year, bringing in teams from startups like Context.ai, Crossing Minds, and Alex. With these moves, OpenAI is signaling its intention to go beyond being just an API provider and build a suite of consumer apps that feel truly personal and adaptive.
What Makes Roi Different?
Roi’s product philosophy stood out for its focus on human-like, tailored interactions. For example, users could instruct Roi to speak to them in a casual, even humorous tone. In one widely-shared exchange, a user asked for "Gen-Z" level banter, and Roi responded with witty, direct financial advice. This level of personalization creates more engaging and memorable user experiences—something OpenAI is eager to replicate across its own ecosystem.
Leadership with Proven Experience
Sujith Vishwajith, Roi’s CEO, brings a track record of optimizing user experiences, honed during his time at Airbnb. His approach—using small changes to unlock significant revenue—fits well with OpenAI’s ambition to monetize consumer AI products, especially as the company scales its infrastructure and data center operations globally.
What’s Next?
With Roi’s technology and leadership joining the team, OpenAI is poised to accelerate its push into personalized, end-user apps that adapt to individual needs, preferences, and lifestyles. While details about specific integrations remain under wraps, the move underscores a broader trend: AI is rapidly evolving from generic tools to deeply personal digital companions.
