SAN FRANCISCO, 3 September 2025 – OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, has struck a major deal with Statsig, a product testing and experimentation startup. In an all-stock acquisition valued at approximately US$1.1 billion, OpenAI will integrate Statsig under its expanding Applications division and appoint Statsig CEO Vijaye Raji as its Chief Technology Officer (Applications).
The Deal and Leadership Realignment
Statsig, founded in 2021, provides advanced tools for A/B testing, feature flagging, and product analytics—services already relied upon by teams at Atlassian, Notion, Brex, Bloomberg, and OpenAI. The startup raised US$100 million earlier this year, valuing it at around US$1.1 billion.
Following the acquisition, Raji will lead product engineering for ChatGPT and Codex, overseeing core systems such as infrastructure and operational integrity. He will report to Fidji Simo, CEO of Applications.
Other leadership changes include:
- Srinivas Narayanan, now CTO of B2B Applications, will focus on enterprise and government offerings under COO Brad Lightcap.
- Kevin Weil, former Chief Product Officer, transitions to VP of AI for Science, overseeing a new research-aligned division with the former ChatGPT head reporting to Simo.
Though pending regulatory approval, OpenAI says Statsig employees will become part of its team and continue operating from their Seattle office.
The Perspective
1. Building Blocks for AI Apps
This acquisition underscores OpenAI’s evolution from model development to application deployment. By integrating real-time experimentation tools, OpenAI can rapidly iterate and improve AI-driven services—crucial as competitors surge.
2. Leadership Strategy and Culture
Appointing Raji as CTO balances entrepreneurial innovation with engineering discipline. Combined with Simo’s leadership, this move positions OpenAI to scale applications more strategically.
3. Asia’s Tech Scene and Talent Retention
The deal highlights the importance of experimentation frameworks and developer tools globally. For Southeast Asia—where startups and governments aim to build AI ecosystems—this signals a need to invest in experimentation, modularity, and homegrown AI platforms to retain and empower regional talent.
