OpenAI Acquires Ona to Strengthen Enterprise AI Agent Infrastructure
OpenAI has agreed to acquire Ona, a startup that provides secure cloud development environments for AI agents. The move marks another step in the company’s effort to expand its enterprise AI offerings. The deal surfaced on Thursday and adds to a growing list of acquisitions aimed at strengthening its position in the business software market.
Ona’s Shift Toward AI Agent Operations
Ona previously operated under the name Gitpod and rebranded in 2025 after changing its business focus. While the company originally offered browser-based cloud development environments, it now describes itself as “mission control for your personal team of software engineering agents.”
The platform provides sandboxed cloud environments where AI agents can work securely with full tool access and network connectivity. In addition, it includes enterprise-grade features such as audit trails, role-based permissions, and kernel-level policy enforcement.
Ona’s technology enables organizations to run large numbers of AI coding agents in the background. These agents can execute repeatable workflows across codebases and respond to pull requests, schedules, or webhooks. As a result, companies can automate software development tasks while maintaining governance and security standards.
The company also states that its platform gives “every agent a secure workspace.” Furthermore, it has established partnerships with organizations such as Stripe, Uber, and Cloudflare.
Codex Growth Fuels Enterprise Expansion
The acquisition arrives as OpenAI’s Codex coding platform continues to gain momentum. According to the company, Codex surpassed five million weekly active users in early June.
Notably, knowledge workers now account for 20% of the platform’s user base. Moreover, that segment is growing three times faster than the developer audience. User adoption has accelerated significantly, rising from four million weekly users in late April and 1.6 million in early March.
At the same time, OpenAI has pursued an aggressive acquisition strategy throughout 2026. The company has acquired several businesses across developer tools, AI security, consulting, finance, and media. Additionally, it confidentially filed for an initial public offering earlier this month.
Enterprise Strategy Gains Additional Support
Ona’s technology aligns closely with OpenAI’s broader enterprise ambitions. Since Codex already runs within isolated cloud sandbox environments, Ona’s infrastructure could further enhance large-scale AI agent deployment for business customers.
Additionally, its governance and security controls may help enterprises manage AI-driven workflows more effectively. OpenAI has already partnered with consulting firms such as Accenture, Capgemini, and PricewaterhouseCoopers to expand Codex adoption among corporate clients.
Recently, the company also combined its ChatGPT and Codex teams into a single product organization. Consequently, the acquisition of Ona could accelerate efforts to build secure, scalable AI agent systems for enterprise use.
