OpenAI buys Statsig is taking another big step forward in its mission to grow beyond ChatGPT. On Tuesday, the company announced it is buying Statsig, a Seattle-based product testing startup, in a deal valued at $1.1 billion. The acquisition, one of OpenAI’s biggest yet, is being done entirely in stock and will bring Statsig’s founder and CEO, Vijaye Raji, into OpenAI as the new Chief Technology Officer of Applications.
Raji will report directly to Fidji Simo, the former Instacart CEO who recently joined OpenAI to lead its Applications business. Together, they’ll be in charge of shaping the future of products like ChatGPT, Codex (OpenAI’s AI coding tool), and other new applications that the company is preparing to roll out. By bringing Statsig’s testing platform in-house, OpenAI believes it can speed up how it experiments with new ideas, launch updates faster, and make its applications more reliable for everyday use.
Leadership Changes Inside OpenAI
The acquisition comes at the same time as a series of big leadership moves. Kevin Weil, who has been serving as OpenAI’s Chief Product Officer, announced he is moving into a new role as Vice President of OpenAI buys Statsig. This new division aims to create an AI-powered platform to help scientists accelerate discoveries, much like how past scientific instruments reshaped entire fields. Weil will work closely with Sebastien Bubeck, a leading AI researcher and former Microsoft executive.
Meanwhile, Srinivas Narayanan, OpenAI’s current Head of Engineering, will take on a new role as Chief Technology Officer for B2B Applications. In this position, he’ll collaborate with Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap to focus on business customers and enterprise partnerships.
These leadership changes, paired with the Statsig deal, show that OpenAI is reorganizing itself for growth. It’s not just about research anymore — the company is positioning itself as a major force in both consumer and business AI tools.
What Happens Next for Statsig
Even after the acquisition closes, Statsig will keep operating independently from its Seattle office and continue serving its customer base. All of its employees will become part of OpenAI, but the startup will maintain its own identity for now. This strategy is common among large tech firms, allowing a newly acquired company to keep its strengths while benefiting from a bigger platform.
Statsig has earned a reputation for helping engineering teams test features quickly, measure how they perform, and adjust them in real time. This kind of rapid experimentation could prove invaluable as OpenAI competes with rivals like Anthropic, Google DeepMind, and Meta, who are also racing to build the most useful and trusted AI applications.
Why This Deal Matters
OpenAI is currently valued at around $300 billion, and its long-term success depends on more than just ChatGPT. With the addition of Statsig’s expertise, the company gains a stronger foundation for building products that can keep pace with user expectations and market demands.
This move also signals a shift in OpenAI buys Statsig. Once seen primarily as a research lab, OpenAI is now leaning heavily into being a product company. The leadership changes highlight this too: one group focused on consumer applications, another on enterprise customers, and a new team dedicated to advancing science through AI.
Looking Back and Looking Ahead
In the past two years, OpenAI has:
- Partnered with Microsoft to embed ChatGPT into Office tools and Windows.
- Rolled out new features like Study Mode to make AI safer for students.
- Launched ChatGPT Enterprise to attract large companies.
Now, with Statsig on board and a refreshed leadership lineup, the company is betting on speed, experimentation, and product quality to stay ahead in a competitive field.
Looking ahead, analysts expect the acquisition to help OpenAI test and release new features much faster than before. If successful, this could allow the company to strengthen ChatGPT, expand into new areas like enterprise software and science, and keep its edge against competitors.
Final Word
OpenAI’s $1.1 billion acquisition of Statsig isn’t just about adding another tool to its toolkit. It’s about showing the world that the company is serious about scaling up — building better products, growing its leadership team, and laying the groundwork for a future where AI isn’t just a demo but an everyday utility.