Ona, a startup whose technology gives AI agents access to secure, pre-configured cloud environments stocked with the tools, systems, and context required to complete work over time, is being purchased by OpenAI, the companies announced.
Ona's secure cloud environments for AI agents will help Codex handle longer-running tasks, OpenAI said
Kyle Grillot / Bloomberg via Getty Images
Ona, a startup whose technology gives AI agents access to secure, pre-configured cloud environments stocked with the tools, systems, and context required to complete work over time, is being purchased by OpenAI, the companies announced.
With Ona's infrastructure, Codex will be capable of handling more extended, multi-step tasks, and businesses looking to put AI agents to work in real-world settings will have an easier path to doing so, OpenAI said. Financial terms were not made public. Completion of the transaction is contingent on standard closing requirements, after which Ona's employees will move over to OpenAI and be embedded within the Codex team.
"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," Ona CEO Johannes Landgraf said in a LinkedIn post.
Codex now supports more than 5 million weekly active users, up from 3 million in April, the company said.
OpenAI is competing against Anthropic, which has experienced strong growth driven in part by its own AI coding assistant, Claude Code, according to CNBC. Both companies have filed confidential prospectuses with the Securities and Exchange Commission as they weigh public offerings, according to Bloomberg.
Codex has been a focus of significant investment at OpenAI in recent months. The company has expanded Codex beyond software developers, adding plugins for roles including sales, investment banking, and equity investing, while its weekly active user base has grown more than sixfold since OpenAI introduced its desktop app in February. Knowledge workers now make up roughly one in five Codex users and are growing at more than triple the rate of the core developer group, the company said.
The Ona deal is one of several acquisitions OpenAI has made in recent months. Promptfoo, a cybersecurity startup, was the target of an OpenAI acquisition announcement in March; before that, health-care technology company Torch changed hands for around $60 million in January. An earlier deal brought in Software Applications, whose Sky product served as an AI interface for Mac users, while the blockbuster purchase of Jony Ive's device-focused startup io — valued at over $6 billion — came in May 2025, according to the outlet.
Join 500,000+ readers who start their day with Quartz.
By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.