OpenAI acquires Ona cloud startup to boost Codex AI coding tool

Summary

OpenAI is acquiring Ona, a startup whose technology gives AI agents access to secure, pre-configured cloud environments stocked with tools and context to complete multi-step work, to enhance its Codex AI coding tool—which now supports more than 5 million weekly active users, up from 3 million in April—as OpenAI competes with Anthropic's Claude Code ahead of potential public offerings by both companies.

Market Impact

The acquisition strengthens Codex's ability to handle extended, multi-step tasks and eases enterprise deployment of AI agents in real-world settings, advancing OpenAI's expansion of Codex beyond software developers into roles including sales, investment banking, and equity investing. Codex's weekly active user base has grown more than sixfold since OpenAI introduced its desktop app in February, with knowledge workers now roughly one in five Codex users and growing at more than triple the rate of the core developer group. The deal intensifies the competitive race with Anthropic, whose Claude Code has driven strong growth, as both companies have filed confidential IPO prospectuses, positioning AI coding tools as a strategic battleground ahead of their public listings.

Why It Matters

OpenAI's acquisition of Ona to bolster Codex underscores how AI coding and agent tools have become a strategic competitive battleground against Anthropic, with both companies racing to expand agentic capabilities ahead of potential IPOs.

Key Points

• OpenAI is acquiring Ona, whose technology gives AI agents secure pre-configured cloud environments with the tools and context to complete multi-step work; financial terms were not disclosed
• With Ona's infrastructure, Codex will handle more extended, multi-step tasks; Ona's employees will join OpenAI's Codex team after closing
• Codex now supports more than 5 million weekly active users, up from 3 million in April, having grown more than sixfold since OpenAI's desktop app launched in February
• OpenAI competes with Anthropic's Claude Code; both companies have filed confidential IPO prospectuses, and knowledge workers now make up roughly one in five Codex users

Key Entities

Evidence

Ona, a startup whose technology gives AI agents access to secure, pre-configured cloud environments stocked with the tools, systems, and context required to complete work over time, is being purchased by OpenAI, the c...

Supports: Confirms the acquisition and Ona's technology

Codex now supports more than 5 million weekly active users, up from 3 million in April, the company said.

Supports: Documents Codex's user growth that the acquisition supports

OpenAI is competing against Anthropic, which has experienced strong growth driven in part by its own AI coding assistant, Claude Code, according to CNBC. Both companies have filed confidential prospectuses with the Se...

Supports: Grounds the competitive context with Anthropic and the IPO backdrop