OpenAI is coming for those sweet enterprise dollars in 2026

In a strategic move to enhance its enterprise offerings, OpenAI has made significant changes to its leadership, appointing Barret Zoph to spearhead its sales efforts targeting business clients. This decision comes as the company aims to strengthen its position against competitors in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Zoph, who recently returned to OpenAI, previously co-founded Thinking Machine Labs, an AI startup led by former OpenAI co-founder Mira Murati. His return follows a notable stint as the vice president of post-training inference at OpenAI from September 2022 to October 2024. Although details surrounding his departure from Thinking Machine Labs remain unclear, rumors suggest he may have left with intentions of returning to OpenAI. As OpenAI seeks to amplify its enterprise business—a sector where it has been losing market share—Zoph will play a crucial role in revamping its strategy. The company introduced its ChatGPT Enterprise product in 2023, well ahead of competitors like Anthropic and Google, boasting over 5 million business users, including major corporations like SoftBank, Target, and Loewe’s. Despite this early lead, OpenAI's market share has been declining, dropping from 50% in 2023 to 27% by the end of 2025, according to insights from VC firm Menlo Ventures. In contrast, Anthropic has claimed a dominant position with a 40% share, while Google Gemini has seen stable growth, increasing its enterprise usage from 20% to 21%. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has voiced concerns about the competition, particularly regarding Google Gemini's encroachment on their market. In response, OpenAI is intensifying its focus on enterprise growth for 2026, as highlighted by CFO Sarah Friar in a recent blog post. The company has also announced an extended multi-year partnership with ServiceNow, which will enable ServiceNow customers to access OpenAI's advanced models.