OpenAI Expands Enterprise Workforce from 50 to 700…
Establishes Offices in Korea in May, and in Brazil, India, and Australia This Week…
CNBC: “Competing with Its Biggest Investor, Microsoft”, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, speaks at a corporate AI promotional event in Tokyo, Japan, on February 3. 2025.02.03. /Reuters=News1, “On the 31st (local time), CNBC reported that OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, is planning to expand its business into the enterprise AI market using its individual user base as a stepping stone. However, OpenAI’s push into the B2B (business-to-business) market could lead to conflicts with its largest investor, Microsoft.”
CNBC noted that the role of OpenAI’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Brad Lightcap, is becoming more significant, with his mission described as “turning the generative AI enthusiasm from a (personal) consumer phenomenon into the corporate sector.” With ChatGPT’s global weekly active users exceeding 700 million, Lightcap’s goal is to convert this stable user base into the corporate sector to broaden OpenAI’s revenue base.
To achieve this, OpenAI has increased its enterprise market workforce from 50, a year and a half ago, to over 700. This accounts for about a quarter of its approximately 3,000 employees. CNBC reported that the company has expanded its staff in sales, customer management, developer relations, and strategic partnerships, with the ‘ChatGPT Enterprise’ product being the core offering in the B2B market. Lightcap emphasized to CNBC that “as AI models intelligent enough to solve real business problems have emerged, we have identified a significant corporate demand.”
For instance, vaccine company Moderna is using ChatGPT Enterprise for processing research data for drug development, Uber is employing it to develop internal productivity tools for customer support and driver experience, and Morgan Stanley is using it in asset management and trading processes. OpenAI is focusing on enhancing the practicality of its AI models by partnering with engineers and corporate clients rather than relying on traditional sales staff.
Additionally, OpenAI is expanding its global sales network, establishing new offices in Brazil, Australia, and India this week. In May, it established a branch in Korea and plans to hold a press conference on the 10th, where the Korean branch manager will introduce their business strategy. OpenAI’s Korean office marks its third in Asia after Japan and Singapore.
However, OpenAI’s pursuit of the B2B market signifies competition with its largest investor, Microsoft. Microsoft has invested about $13 billion (18.11 trillion won) in OpenAI-related cloud businesses, making it a key investor. Through this, Microsoft has closely collaborated with OpenAI by applying its technology to AI services and products like Copilot. For example, Microsoft’s cloud service Azure has emphasized smooth integration with OpenAI models as a competitive edge over rival products.
In last year’s annual report, Microsoft publicly mentioned OpenAI as a “competitor in search and news advertising.” This report was released shortly after OpenAI unveiled the prototype of its search engine service ‘SearchGPT.’ CNBC evaluated this as “a scene showing how quickly the interests of the two companies are overlapping.”
Lightcap COO acknowledged that competition with Microsoft is inevitable, stating, “The opportunity space is so vast that in some ways, you can’t avoid encountering other companies.” He added, “OpenAI’s core strengths are the quality, safety, and reliability of its models, as well as the way it collaborates with customers,” expressing confidence in their AI services’ superiority over competitors.