OpenAI is restructuring its leadership team as it intensifies its efforts to break even in the enterprise AI market. The company’s competition and rivals have gained ground to its detriment.
According to The Information, OpenAI has appointed Barret Zoph to lead its enterprise sales efforts. The decision was shared internally through a company memo.
Barret Zoph
Zoph returned to OpenAI last week. He previously left the company to join Thinking Machine Labs, an AI startup founded by former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati.
At Thinking Machine Labs, Zoph served as co-founder and CTO beginning in October 2024. His reason for departure from the startup is still unclear.
There has been speculation about the circumstances. Some reports suggest that Zoph and other former OpenAI employees may have been dismissed.
Others suggest they left voluntarily, but some rumors also claim the exits were temporary, with plans to return to OpenAI. None of these claims has been confirmed.
Before leaving OpenAI, Zoph held a senior technical role. He served as vice president of post-training inference from September 2022 to October 2024.
Now, he is moving into a business-facing position.
Enterprise Sales
Zoph’s new role places him at the center of OpenAI’s enterprise strategy, which launched in 2023.
It did so more than a year before Anthropic. It also moved several years ahead of Google’s enterprise AI offerings.
OpenAI says ChatGPT Enterprise now serves more than 5 million business users. It also lists major companies like SoftBank, Target, and Lowe’s as customers.
But despite this early lead, OpenAI is losing market share.
Also read: OpenAI Reports Major Enterprise Gains
Market Share
A December report from Menlo Ventures details the market share changes. Anthropic currently leads enterprise large language model usage with an estimated 40% market share.
That figure increased from 32% in July, and Menlo Ventures is an investor in Anthropic.
Google’s Gemini enterprise adoption has been steadier. Google released its enterprise product last fall, and its market share rose slightly, from 20% in July to 21% by the end of the year.
OpenAI has moved in the opposite direction. The report shows OpenAI’s enterprise usage share fell from 50% in 2023 to 27% by the end of 2025. This decline has raised internal concern.
Competitive Pressure
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman addressed the issue in an internal memo several months ago. In that message, Altman expressed concern about Google Gemini’s growth.
He warned that Gemini was beginning to encroach on OpenAI’s enterprise position. These concerns appear to have shaped recent decisions.
Therefore, enterprise growth is now a central focus for 2026. OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar confirmed this direction in a blog post published on Sunday.
In the post, Friar emphasized the importance of expanding OpenAI’s enterprise business. She positioned it as a key growth area for the coming year.
The company has also taken concrete steps to support that goal.
ServiceNow Partnership
OpenAI recently announced an expanded multi-year partnership with ServiceNow. Under the agreement, ServiceNow customers will gain access to OpenAI models.
The partnership is designed to bring OpenAI’s technology deeper into enterprise workflows.
ServiceNow already serves large organizations worldwide. As a result, the integration lowers barriers to adoption.
This approach reflects a broader strategy. OpenAI is no longer focused only on model leadership. It is now prioritizing distribution, integration, and long-term enterprise relationships.
