OpenAI Acquires Ona to Bring Codex AI Agents Into Enterprise Cloud Environments

OpenAI has announced plans to acquire Ona, a cloud execution and orchestration startup, in a move that could significantly expand the capabilities of its AI agent platform, Codex. The acquisition, first revealed on June 12, 2026, aims to transition Codex from a session-based assistant into a persistent, autonomous agent capable of handling complex, real-world business processes. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 

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Founded by CEO Johannes Landgraf and headquartered in San Francisco, Ona (formerly known as Gitpod) is a cloud infrastructure startup specializes in secure cloud execution environments that allow AI agents to operate continuously while maintaining access to tools, systems, and organizational context. The startup established itself as a significant player in the developer tools space, focusing on "cloud development environments" (CDEs) that allowed software development to shift from local machines to secure, persistent cloud-based workspaces. By the time of its acquisition, the company had reportedly supported more than 2 million developers work within reproducible cloud-based development environments.

This latest transaction addresses one of the biggest challenges facing enterprise AI adoption: enabling agents to continue working on complex tasks even after users disconnect from a session. According to OpenAI, Ona's technology will provide secure, persistent workspaces where Codex agents can run for hours or even days, carrying out sophisticated workflows without being tied to a single device. The company believes the next phase of AI agents requires not only advanced intelligence but also trusted cloud infrastructure that meets compliance requirements, enterprise security, and governance.

This cloud-related deal arrives at a pivotal moment for OpenAI. With OpenAI's Codex usage surging—reportedly reaching 5 million weekly users, with usage growing by 400 percent this year. By absorbing Ona’s core technology and specialized infrastructure, OpenAI is positioning itself to be the primary engine for "agentic" workflows in the enterprise corporate world, moving beyond simple chat interfaces to fully integrated, autonomous software engineering teammates. 

Founded in 2015 and headquartered in San Francisco, OpenAI has grown into one of the world's leading artificial intelligence companies, best known for ChatGPT, GPT models, and Codex. The company has increasingly focused on enterprise AI tools that can automate software development, research, and business workflows.

Following the transaction, Ona's employees will be integrated into OpenAI's Codex organization, accelerating the deployment of enterprise-grade AI agents across global markets. Industry analysts view the acquisition as part of an aggressive push toward autonomous AI systems that can perform sophisticated business workflows with minimal human intervention.

Finally, this deal underscores the escalating AI arms race between two of the sector's leading players, OpenAI and Anthropic. With both companies recently filing for IPOs and ramping up investments in AI agents for software development and enterprise workflows, the competition to establish leadership, expand market reach, and secure a larger share of the rapidly growing AI market.