OpenAI intends to double its workforce to strengthen corporate sales of ChatGPT

OpenAI plans almost a double staff expansion by 2026

By the end of 2026, the company expects to increase its workforce from about 4,500 to 8,000 employees—almost twice as many. New hires will be primarily in product development, engineering, research, and commercial functions. A particular emphasis is placed on implementation support specialists: they will help customers integrate OpenAI solutions faster and enhance the practical value of AI.

Office expansion
OpenAI signed a new lease in San Francisco, increasing total space to 92,903 m². Management estimates that by 2026 the company will grow at roughly 12 employees per day—a metric of systematic scaling rather than random team hires.

Shift toward the corporate segment
Anthropic’s recent successes are intensifying pressure on OpenAI. Fintech firm Ramp reported that companies buying AI solutions for the first time choose Anthropic three times more often than OpenAI—a reversal from a year ago. An OpenAI spokesperson said such conclusions are incorrect: large clients do not pay contracts with cards and do not use Ramp for those payments.

At the end of 2025, CEO Sam Altman announced a “total mobilization” and demanded refocus on the core product—ChatGPT. In March 2026, applied‑business leader Fiji Simo suggested employees focus on three areas: developing Codex, expanding the corporate customer base, and turning ChatGPT into a full productivity tool.

New initiatives
* Codex + ChatGPT – merging these products into a single desktop application to be sold to both individual users and companies.
* SOI – discussing a joint venture with investment funds to deploy OpenAI technologies in portfolio companies.

Monetizing the mass audience
ChatGPT remains the most popular generative‑AI app since its launch in 2023. Over 90 % of nearly 900 million active users do not pay for the service, so OpenAI is looking for monetization ways: advertising, subscriptions, and boosting corporate sales, where contracts are larger and revenue more stable.

Anthropic’s strategy
Founded in 2021 by former OpenAI researchers, Anthropic has focused on the enterprise market from the start. After launching Claude Code, the company increased its annual revenue growth rate by $1 million each week in 2026—a factor that prompted OpenAI to reassess priorities.

Financial situation
Neither company has yet reached profitability. Both giants spend billions of dollars training AI models, exceeding current revenue. In the face of potential regulatory changes and market competition, it is critically important for them to simultaneously maintain technological momentum, cut costs, and grow revenue to approach profitability.