AI race is on! Yep that is the sole reason why Big Tech companies are splurging on skilled AI engineers. OpenAI the startup behind one of the most advanced AI LLM models has officially acquired product testing startup Statsig in a deal worth nearly $1.1 billion. The acquisition was made through an all-stock transaction. As part of the deal, Vijaye Raji, the founder and CEO of Statsig, will now join OpenAI as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Applications, where he will report to Fidji Simo, CEO of Applications at OpenAI.
Who is Vijaye Raji?
Vijaye is born and educated in India, Raji earned his Bachelor of Engineering from Pondicherry University in 1999. He then spent nearly a decade at Microsoft, working on major tools like Visual Studio Editor, Windows Application Framework, and SQL Server technologies. In 2011, he joined Facebook, where he spent the next 10 years climbing the leadership ladder, ultimately becoming VP and Head of Gaming, Entertainment, and Facebook Seattle. Raji launched Statsig just four and a half years ago. The platform has since grown into what OpenAI called it as “one of the most trusted experimentation platforms in the industry.”
What did Vijaye comment on this?
Reflecting on the journey, Raji said in the statement of OpenAI’s website blogpost, “Joining OpenAI as CTO of Applications is an extraordinary opportunity… The journey with Statsig has been deeply gratifying, leading me to this moment and giving me conviction that we will continue helping teams ship better software every day.” He also added that “I’m super excited to join OpenAI as CTO of Applications, reporting to Fidji Simo. Once the acquisition is finalized, Statsig employees will become OpenAI employees. The company will continue operating independently and serving our customers.”
Why did OpenAI hire Vijaye?
In a statement on their official website, OpenAI highlighted Raji’s experience in scaling large-scale consumer engineering systems during his time at Meta (Facebook), and praised his “entrepreneurial vision” as a key asset for their next phase of growth. Moreover, OpenAI’s acquisition of Statsig wasn’t just a business transaction—it was a strategic alignment. Raji now leads product engineering for ChatGPT and Codex, overseeing infrastructure, integrity, and core systems. Reporting to Fidji Simo, CEO of Applications at OpenAI, his role is pivotal in transforming cutting-edge research into safe, scalable, and intuitive tools.
