OpenAI Spends $1.1B to Acquire Statsig Testing Platform

Post by : Avinab Raana

Photo : X / PiQ

OpenAI Accelerates App Strategy with Bold Buy

In a bold leap to strengthen its application development engine, OpenAI has agreed to acquire Statsig, a leading platform for feature experimentation and product testing, in an all-stock deal worth $1.1 billion. The transaction isn’t just financial; it brings accessibility to sophisticated experimentation into the heart of ChatGPT and its ecosystem, signaling a deeper commitment to rapid iteration and intelligent product rollout.

Founder Steps Into the Driver’s Seat

As part of this arrangement, Vijaye Raji, Statsig’s founder and CEO, will step into the newly created role of CTO of Applications at OpenAI. Reporting directly to new applications chief Fidji Simo, he will oversee product engineering for AI tools including ChatGPT, Codex, and core infrastructure. Raji’s appointment reflects OpenAI’s ambition to build screening, testing, and iteration directly into the way AI products are delivered.

Statsig’s Platform: Designed for Speed and Insight

Statsig’s platform offers A/B testing, feature flags, experimentation analytics, and real-time decisioning tools used by developers to release with confidence. These capabilities allow teams to ship features quickly while tracking impact and rolling back when necessary. By integrating these tools, OpenAI aims to increase delivery velocity without compromising model safety, reliability, or user trust.

Building the Future of AI With Precision

The acquisition is more than a technical utility—it’s a strategic shift toward treating AI product delivery like modern software. Instead of shipping monolithic updates, developers can now test features selectively and experiment in customer-facing environments. For OpenAI, this means safer rollout of features like memory, voice, or specialized agents, enabled by tight feedback loops powered by Statsig’s technology.

Independent but Unified in Mission

OpenAI has pledged to keep Statsig’s Seattle office and team intact, preserving its entrepreneurial culture. While Statsig will continue serving existing clients, it will gradually become more enmeshed in OpenAI’s applications stack—harmonizing experimentation practices across internal and external usage, and solidifying confidence in new feature rollouts.

A Strategic Move Amid Rising Stakes

With competitors moving fast and user expectations soaring, OpenAI needed to sharpen its product development cycle. Delivering features like enhanced fine-tuning, better UI, or multimodal interactions requires more than engineering power—it demands data-driven validation at scale. Statsig supplies the method, not just the might.

The Importance of Institutional Memory and Incentives

Tasked with leading execution, Vijaye Raji brings experience from Meta and startup leadership to this role. As CTO of Applications, he will bridge entrepreneurship, technical rigor, and future thinking—arming OpenAI with a smoother pipeline from model to feature to user. His presence also helps anchor talent retention and cultural alignment post-acquisition.

A Valuation That Reflects Potential, Not Premium

The all-stock transaction values Statsig at $1.1 billion, closely mirroring its last private round. This alignment suggests mutual respect for potential rather than inflated pricing. For investors and team members, it provides liquidity and continuity—while anchoring expectations at a sustainable valuation.

Agreement Signals AI’s Maturing Application Layer

While model architecture still attracts headlines, this move shows how the next phase of AI innovation is increasingly focused on deployment and iteration. OpenAI treating feature testing as foundational illustrates a shift: from building models to delivering experiences responsively, safely, and at scale.

Shaping Internal Ecosystems—and External Offerings

Beyond ChatGPT and Codex, Statsig’s capabilities will likely influence enterprise tools, SDKs, APIs, and future consumer products. Whether launching personalized workflows, agency tools, or assistive agents, OpenAI can now run controlled trials, measure user behavior, and optimize delivery—all in real-time.

Scaling Without Breaking

As OpenAI grows, the challenge is balancing rapid feature rollout against ethical, safety, and usage control frameworks. By embedding Statsig’s experimentation engine, the company gains operational levers to test, adapt, and observe before committing. This shift may prove foundational as AI use cases expand into healthcare, legal, creative, and regulated spaces.

A Masterstroke for Product-Led AI

This deal is as much about architecture as it is about organization. Crafting AI products requires agility—both in code and design. With Statsig under its roof, OpenAI speeds toward a future where features can be rolled forward or pulled back instantly, backed by empirical feedback and aligned incentives. It’s a new model for AI development.

Vision Meets Velocity, Anchored in Trust

In a market chasing features, this move plants a flag for systematic experimentation as the guardrail for growth. Customers and developers alike will benefit by seeing new capabilities tuned, tested, and validated—even as they evolve. OpenAI bets on deliberate transformation, not blind acceleration.

OpenAI, Statsig, CTO of Applications