OpenAI Acquires Statsig and Announces Major Leadership Changes

OpenAI has made a significant move in the AI landscape by acquiring Statsig, a startup specializing in product testing and experimentation platforms. This $1.1 billion all-stock deal marks one of the largest acquisitions in OpenAI's history, reflecting the company's ambition to accelerate its product development and strengthen its foothold in the applications space.

Why Statsig?

Statsig is known for its powerful experimentation tools that help businesses test and refine products efficiently. By bringing Statsig in-house, OpenAI aims to enhance its ability to develop and iterate on AI-driven applications, including ChatGPT and Codex. The acquisition is expected to speed up the deployment of new features and products across OpenAI's rapidly expanding portfolio.

Leadership Team Gets a Shake-Up

Alongside the acquisition, OpenAI is restructuring its leadership. Statsig’s founder and CEO, Vijaye Raji, will join OpenAI as the CTO of Applications. Raji will report directly to Fidji Simo, the recently appointed CEO of Applications and former head of Instacart. Together, they will oversee product engineering for flagship tools like ChatGPT and future offerings.

Other key leadership changes include:

• Kevin Weil, OpenAI’s Chief Product Officer, is transitioning to lead a new initiative called OpenAI for Science, aiming to build an AI-powered platform for accelerating scientific discovery. Weil will collaborate with AI researcher Sebastien Bubeck in this new venture.
• Srinivas Narayanan, currently the head of engineering, will become CTO of B2B Applications. In this new role, he will work closely with COO Brad Lightcap to deepen relationships with OpenAI’s enterprise partners.

What’s Next for Statsig and OpenAI?

Pending regulatory approval, all Statsig employees will join OpenAI, though Statsig will continue to operate independently from its Seattle office and serve its existing customers. The integration of Statsig's platform is expected to accelerate the rollout of new AI-powered products, benefiting both OpenAI’s commercial initiatives and the broader developer ecosystem.

This acquisition is a clear signal of OpenAI’s commitment to expanding its business applications while reinforcing its leadership team to drive innovation and growth in the AI sector.

References

• OpenAI Official Blog Post: Vijaye Raji to Become CTO of Applications with Acquisition of Statsig
• TechCrunch: OpenAI acquires product testing startup Statsig and shakes up its leadership team
• Kevin Weil on LinkedIn: I'm starting something new inside OpenAI
• Srinivas Narayanan on LinkedIn: I'm excited to share that I'm transitioning