OpenAI has announced plans to acquire Ona, a startup that provides secure cloud environments where artificial intelligence agents can access tools, systems, and data needed to complete tasks. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Once completed, Ona’s employees will join OpenAI and become part of the Codex team. This comes as OpenAI continues to expand its AI coding assistant, Codex, and compete with rivals such as Anthropic in the fast-growing market for AI-powered software development tools.
Codex usage continues to surge
According to OpenAI, more than 5 million people now use Codex every week to research, analyse, build, and automate work. That figure has risen sharply from around 3 million weekly users in April and represents a 400% increase compared with earlier this year.
Initially designed for software developers, Codex has evolved into an AI assistant capable of helping users complete complex tasks from start to finish.
OpenAI said the nature of work handled by Codex is also changing, with many tasks now lasting hours or even days instead of minutes. “As Codex becomes more capable, its most valuable work is unfolding over hours or days, rather than minutes,” the company said.
Ona technology to enable persistent AI agents
A key reason behind the acquisition is Ona’s technology, which provides secure and persistent cloud environments for AI agents.
OpenAI said these environments will allow Codex to continue working even after a user ends a session or closes their laptop. Instead of being tied to a single device, AI agents will be able to keep running in the background, accessing the tools and context needed to complete longer projects.
Helping enterprises deploy AI agents securely
OpenAI said the acquisition will also help businesses move AI agents from experimental projects into production environments.
Many enterprises require strict controls over infrastructure, security, governance, and data access before deploying AI systems. Ona’s technology allows agents to operate within a customer’s own cloud environment while maintaining control over credentials, access permissions, activity logs, and review processes.
According to OpenAI, this customer-controlled execution model will give organizations more control over their infrastructure and security boundaries while still benefiting from OpenAI’s AI models and orchestration tools.
Ona CEO says deal expands the company’s mission
Ona Chief Executive Officer Johannes Landgraf said joining OpenAI will allow the company to bring its technology to a much larger audience.
“I always thought selling the company would feel like an ending. Instead, it feels like our life’s work just got bigger and more important,” Landgraf wrote in a LinkedIn post.
He added, “Agents need more than intelligence; they need a trusted workspace. We built Ona to give agents cloud environments with the context, control and collaboration enterprises require. Joining OpenAI lets us bring that foundation into Codex, helping organizations deploy agents with confidence and giving humans more agency over their work.”
OpenAI sees enterprise opportunity for Codex
Thibault Sottiaux, OpenAI’s Core Products Lead, said enterprises increasingly want AI agents that can perform meaningful work while meeting strict security requirements.
“Enterprises want powerful agents that can do real work while meeting the security and control requirements of their environments. Ona will help us make Codex easier to deploy securely across production workflows for customers operating at the highest standards of trust and scale,” Sottiaux said.
The Ona acquisition is the latest in a series of deals by OpenAI as it expands its product offerings and strengthens its position in the AI market.
In March, the company announced the acquisition of cybersecurity startup Promptfoo. Earlier this year, it acquired healthcare technology startup Torch for about $60 million. OpenAI also purchased Software Applications, the maker of the AI interface Sky for Apple Mac users, in October.
One of its biggest acquisitions came in May 2025, when OpenAI agreed to buy former Apple designer Jony Ive’s AI hardware startup io in a deal worth more than $6 billion.
The company recently confidentially filed paperwork with the US Securities and Exchange Commission for a potential initial public offering, just days after rival Anthropic submitted its own confidential filing. The latest acquisition underscores OpenAI’s push to expand Codex and strengthen its enterprise AI offerings as competition in the sector intensifies.