OpenAI acquires cloud environment startup Ona to strengthen the competitiveness of its AI programming assistant Codex.

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OpenAI is accelerating its presence in AI programming through continuous acquisitions. On Thursday, it announced the acquisition of startup Ona to enhance its programming assistant Codex’s ability to handle complex tasks and to strengthen its market position amid fierce competition with Anthropic.

Ona specializes in providing secure, pre-configured cloud environments for AI agents, enabling them to access tools, systems, and relevant data.

OpenAI stated that Ona’s technology will allow Codex to undertake tasks with longer runtimes, while helping more enterprises deploy self-sufficient AI agents into production environments. After the transaction is completed, all Ona employees will join OpenAI and serve on the Codex team.

This acquisition comes just days after OpenAI secretly filed its prospectus with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday. Codex’s weekly active users have also grown from 3 million in April this year to over 5 million.

Rapid growth of Codex users, Ona technology fills key gaps

Codex is OpenAI’s flagship AI programming product, targeted at software engineers who use AI agents to assist development workflows. Weekly active users increased from 3 million in April to over 5 million currently, highlighting the rapid adoption of the product.

Ona’s pre-configured cloud sandbox environments are exactly the infrastructure support needed for Codex to expand its functionality. OpenAI said this technology will enable Codex to carry out programming tasks that last longer and involve more complex steps, and will lower the threshold for enterprises to deploy AI agents into production environments.

Ona CEO Johannes Landgraf stated on LinkedIn:

"I always thought selling the company would feel like an ending. But now, it feels like our life’s work has become grander and more important."

OpenAI did not disclose specific terms of the acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions.

Intensifying competition with Anthropic, IPO processes advance in tandem

The background to OpenAI’s acceleration in strengthening Codex is increasingly fierce rivalry with competitor Anthropic in the AI programming assistant arena.

Anthropic’s programming assistant, Claude Code, has seen explosive growth over the past year, though the company has not disclosed Claude Code’s exact user numbers.

In terms of IPO progress, both companies are moving almost in sync. OpenAI secretly filed its prospectus on Monday, while Anthropic had previously submitted similar documentation to regulators.

Meanwhile, SpaceX, which has merged with xAI under Elon Musk, is expected to begin trading on Friday, potentially setting a historic record for the largest public market debut ever.

Intensive acquisition strategies, building an AI product matrix

The acquisition of Ona continues a series of recent mergers by OpenAI. In March, OpenAI announced the acquisition of cybersecurity startup Promptfoo; in January, it acquired healthcare technology startup Torch for about $60 million.

Previously, in October 2024, OpenAI announced the acquisition of startup Software Applications—whose product Sky is an AI interface tool aimed at Apple Mac users.

In May this year, OpenAI announced the acquisition of AI hardware startup io, founded by Jony Ive, for over $6 billion, shaking the tech industry.

This string of acquisitions demonstrates that OpenAI is systematically integrating external technological capabilities into its core product line to maintain a technological edge over competitors.

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