OpenAI has initiated a sweeping overhaul of its applications division, signaling a new and aggressive phase in its ambition to dominate the software built upon its powerful AI models. In a decisive move under its new CEO of Applications, Fidji Simo, the company has acquired product analytics firm Statsig for $1.1 billion and executed a significant leadership reshuffle. This strategic restructuring is a clear declaration that OpenAI is no longer content with simply creating cutting-edge AI; it is now building the corporate machinery to win the global race for AI-powered applications.
The reorganization establishes a new, specialized leadership team tasked with accelerating product development for both consumer and business markets. At the center of this change is Vijaye Raji, the founder and CEO of Statsig, who will join OpenAI as its first-ever CTO of Applications. Reporting directly to Simo, Raji will oversee the engineering for flagship products like ChatGPT and Codex, as well as the underlying infrastructure. The acquisition of his company, Statsig, a leader in A/B testing and product experimentation, provides OpenAI with critical tools to optimize and scale its user-facing services rapidly.
Complementing this move, Srinivas Narayanan, a key figure in the development of ChatGPT, has been promoted to the newly created role of CTO of B2B Applications. His focus will be squarely on the lucrative enterprise market, serving clients from startups to governments. This division of leadership—with Raji focused on the consumer side and Narayanan on business—creates two distinct engines for growth. Further emphasizing this strategic split, former Chief Product Officer Kevin Weil is transitioning to a research-focused position as Vice President of AI for Science, creating a clearer boundary between pure research and market-driven product development.
This executive shake-up is the first major strategic footprint of Fidji Simo, the former Instacart chief who took the helm of the applications division in August. The moves signal her intent to build applications into a standalone pillar of the business, with its own dedicated strategy and resources. By bringing in a proven leader like Raji and acquiring a company built on data-driven product improvement, OpenAI is embedding a culture of rigorous testing and optimization directly into its product teams.
The company has stated that Statsig will continue to operate independently for the time being to ensure continuity for its existing customers. However, the long-term goal is to leverage its analytical muscle across OpenAI’s entire portfolio. The $1.1 billion price tag, one of OpenAI's largest corporate deals to date, underscores the immense value the company places on building a world-class product development operation. It reflects a strategic decision to buy, rather than build, the expertise needed to scale its platforms effectively and compete directly with established tech giants.
The message from this overhaul is unequivocal: OpenAI is aggressively structuring itself for its next chapter of growth. The era of being primarily a research lab is giving way to a new identity as a product-led behemoth. By creating a powerful new leadership triumvirate—with Simo providing the vision, Raji building the engineering backbone, and Narayanan capturing the enterprise market—the company is positioning itself to not only invent the future of AI but also to own the user experience built on top of it. This restructuring is less a game of executive musical chairs and more a calculated fortification for the coming war over AI application dominance.
· Major Acquisition: OpenAI is acquiring product analytics firm Statsig for $1.1 billion, bringing its founder, Vijaye Raji, on board as the new CTO of Applications.
· Leadership Reshuffle: The company has created new, specialized C-suite roles to separate its consumer-facing products (under Raji) and its B2B enterprise solutions (under a promoted Srinivas Narayanan).
· New Strategic Focus: The overhaul, driven by new CEO of Applications Fidji Simo, aims to establish the applications division as a standalone business pillar, distinct from pure AI research.
· Accelerated Growth: The move is designed to accelerate the growth of products like ChatGPT and tighten OpenAI's grip on the lucrative enterprise market by integrating a culture of data-driven product optimization.
