OpenAI Expands App Team with Major Acquisition and Leadership Shifts

OpenAI is strengthening its Applications division with new leadership roles and a major acquisition under the direction of Fidji Simo, the company’s recently appointed CEO of Applications. Simo, who joined OpenAI on August 18th after leaving her role as Instacart’s CEO, will oversee the expansion of the company’s product development efforts, starting with the acquisition of Statsig, a product analytics firm specializing in A/B testing. OpenAI confirmed that the $1.1 billion deal will bring Statsig founder and CEO Vijaye Raji into the organization as its new CTO of Applications. Raji will lead engineering for ChatGPT and Codex, with oversight of infrastructure, product systems, and integrity. He will report directly to Simo. The acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approval, will allow Statsig to continue serving its customer base independently from its Seattle office while gradually integrating with OpenAI. The company emphasized that the transition will prioritize continuity for existing clients while enabling Statsig’s team to focus on its core strengths. Alongside the acquisition, OpenAI announced several executive changes. Srinivas Narayanan, who previously oversaw engineering and the development of ChatGPT and its APIs, has been promoted to CTO of B2B Applications. In his new role, he will manage OpenAI’s business-facing products for startups, enterprises, and government organizations, reporting to COO Brad Lightcap. Additionally, Chief Product Officer Kevin Weil will transition from product leadership to the research side of the company as VP of AI for Science. He will lead a new team focused on scientific applications of AI in close collaboration with Chief Research Officer Mark Chen. Weil’s former product group, including ChatGPT head Nick Turley, will now report to Simo, consolidating product oversight within the Applications team. These strategic moves highlight OpenAI’s intent to scale its product ecosystem beyond consumer tools, positioning itself as a stronger player in both enterprise and scientific AI applications. The combination of leadership reshuffling and a high-profile acquisition signals the company’s next phase of growth as it builds out its application-focused strategy.