OpenAI has reorganized parts of its leadership and appointed Barret Zoph to lead its enterprise AI sales efforts, as the company looks to strengthen its position with business customers in 2026.
Leadership Change Focused On Enterprise Growth
According to The Information, OpenAI named Barret Zoph to oversee its push into selling AI products to enterprise customers, citing an internal company memo. c
Zoph returned to OpenAI last week after departing Thinking Machine Labs, the AI startup founded by former OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati. Zoph had served as a co-founder and CTO at Thinking Machine Labs since October 2024.
Circumstances Of Zoph’s Return
The circumstances surrounding Zoph’s departure from Thinking Machine Labs have not been publicly clarified. Reports have circulated suggesting that Zoph and several other former OpenAI employees may have either been dismissed or left voluntarily, with speculation that some intended to return to OpenAI.
Before joining Thinking Machine Labs, Zoph served as OpenAI’s vice president of post-training inference from September 2022 to October 2024. His new role represents a shift from technical leadership into a commercial position focused on enterprise adoption.
Competitive Pressure In Enterprise AI
Zoph’s appointment comes as OpenAI faces increased competition in the enterprise large language model market. OpenAI launched ChatGPT Enterprise in 2023, ahead of rivals such as Anthropic and Google.
OpenAI has said ChatGPT Enterprise has more than 5 million business users and lists customers including SoftBank, Target, and Lowe’s. Despite this, data suggests its share of enterprise usage has declined.
Market Share Shifts Among AI Providers
Anthropic currently holds the largest share of enterprise large language model usage, according to a December report from venture capital firm Menlo Ventures. The firm estimated Anthropic’s market share at 40 percent, up from 32 percent in July. Menlo Ventures has invested in Anthropic.
Google’s Gemini enterprise offering, released last fall, has shown more modest growth. Menlo Ventures data indicates Gemini’s enterprise usage share increased slightly from 20 percent in July to 21 percent by the end of the year.
OpenAI’s usage share has declined more sharply, falling from 50 percent in 2023 to 27 percent by the end of 2025, according to the same report.
Internal Concern And 2026 Priorities
OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman previously raised concerns in an internal memo that the growth of Google’s Gemini was beginning to pressure OpenAI’s enterprise position.
Enterprise expansion has been identified as a priority area for 2026. OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar wrote in a blog post published Sunday that enterprise growth would be a key focus for the company in the coming year.
Partnership With ServiceNow
OpenAI has also announced an expanded multi-year partnership with ServiceNow. The agreement will allow ServiceNow customers to access OpenAI’s models, adding another distribution channel as OpenAI works to regain momentum in the enterprise market.
Featured image credits: Heute.at
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