OpenAI to Acquire Ona to Boost Codex Assistant

According to OpenAI, the company has announced the acquisition of Ona, a startup specializing in secure, pre-configured cloud environments that enable artificial intelligence agents to access tools, systems, and contextual data more efficiently.

OpenAI stated that Ona’s technology will enhance its coding assistant, Codex, by enabling it to handle longer-running and more complex tasks. The integration is also expected to support broader enterprise adoption of autonomous AI agents capable of executing tasks independently in production environments.

The financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions. Once completed, Ona’s employees will join OpenAI and become part of the Codex development team.

Ona CEO Johannes Landgraf commented on LinkedIn that what initially felt like an ending instead represents an expansion of the company’s mission, making its long-term vision “larger and more meaningful.”

Since launching ChatGPT in 2022, OpenAI has played a central role in accelerating global interest in artificial intelligence. In recent months, the company has significantly increased its investment in Codex as developers increasingly integrate AI agents into software development workflows. OpenAI is also facing intensifying competition from rivals such as Anthropic, which has experienced rapid growth driven in part by its AI coding assistant Claude Code.

OpenAI reported that Codex now exceeds 5 million weekly active users, up from 3 million in April. In contrast, Anthropic has not disclosed user figures for Claude Code.

To maintain its competitive position, OpenAI has pursued a series of acquisitions in recent months. In March, it announced plans to acquire cybersecurity startup Promptfoo. Earlier, it acquired medical technology startup Torch for approximately $60 million in January, and in October of the previous year completed the acquisition of Software Applications, a startup that had developed an AI interface named Sky for Apple systems.

Notably, in May 2025, OpenAI also announced a major deal valued at over $6 billion to acquire io, an AI hardware startup co-founded by former Apple Chief Design Officer Jony Ive, a move that drew significant attention across the technology industry.

Founded in 2024, io focuses on developing next-generation AI hardware devices. Following the acquisition announcement, OpenAI decided not to use the “io” brand for its first AI hardware product due to a trademark dispute with audio equipment company iyO. The company’s first device is reported to be a smart speaker equipped with a built-in camera, with a planned release in early 2027.