OpenAI acquires stake in Thrive Holdings; eyes driving enterprise AI adoption

OpenAI has acquired a stake in Thrive Holdings, the New York-based investment vehicle of Thrive Capital, the two companies confirmed in separate statements on Monday.

“Through our partnership, OpenAI will become an equity owner in Holdings, and collectively we will set out to deliver frontier technology for our customers,” Joshua Kushner, founder of Thrive Capital, wrote on X.



As part of the collaboration, OpenAI’s research, product, and engineering teams will be embedded into Thrive Holdings’ portfolio companies. The company noted that early efforts will centre on accounting and IT functions.

“OpenAI and Thrive Holdings will work together to drive direct, scalable impact across core enterprise operations. The initial focus is accounting and IT services because these functions run high-volume, rules-driven, workflow-heavy processes where OpenAI's platform can drive immediate benefits,” the Sam Altman-led company said.

The partnership has made OpenAI an equity stakeholder in Thrive Holdings, a move the company said is aimed at integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into businesses.

In October, ChatGPT-maker OpenAI was valued at $500 billion, after current and former employees sold roughly $6.6 billion worth of its shares. The OpenAI employees sold shares to a consortium of investors, including Thrive Capital, SoftBank, Dragoneer Investment Group, Abu Dhabi's MGX, and T.

OpenAI generated around $4.3 billion in revenue in the first half of 2025, about 16% more than it generated all of last year.

Meanwhile, ChatGPT, the world's most popular AI chatbot, has completed three years at a time when rising competition is intensifying, and its parent company is reshaping itself for the next phase of growth.

With the shift to a for-profit structure, OpenAI expects a larger share of its user base to pay for premium access. According to OpenAI’s projections, by 2030, roughly 220 million users will subscribe.

As of July, about 35 million users — nearly 5% of ChatGPT's weekly active base — paid for "Plus" or "Pro" plans.