OpenAI purchases Ona to enhance Codex for enterprise use.

      OpenAI has acquired Ona, previously known as Gitpod, as part of its latest enterprise initiative. The deal, revealed on Thursday, integrates Ona’s secure cloud platform into Codex, OpenAI’s coding assistant. The financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

      Codex is experiencing significant growth. OpenAI reports that over 5 million users access it weekly, representing a 400 percent increase since early this year. AI coding agents have become mainstream, with one vibe-coding startup reaching $500 million in revenue. The tasks performed by Codex are also extending in duration, ranging from minutes to hours or even days.

      Reasons for OpenAI’s acquisition of Ona and its value

      Longer tasks require a reliable environment. Ona offers secure, persistent cloud spaces that allow an agent to continue functioning even after the developer has closed their laptop. Modernizing a codebase or addressing a specific set of vulnerabilities can now proceed even if the user logs off.

      The real advantage lies in control rather than sheer speed. Ona’s feature of “customer-controlled execution” permits agents to operate within a company's private cloud. OpenAI provides the intelligence while customers retain ownership of their data, credentials, and audit logs.

      This approach is designed to instill confidence in wary IT departments. “Agents require more than intelligence; they need a trusted workspace,” stated Ona co-founder and CEO Johannes Landgraf.

      A European startup integrated

      Ona has an established history. It began as Gitpod, a German firm that shifted coding from local devices to the cloud. The company claims to have supported 2 million developers.

      In late 2025, it rebranded to Ona and focused its efforts on AI agents. Now, it becomes part of a U.S. giant. “I always thought that selling the company would feel like an ending,” Landgraf wrote on LinkedIn. “Instead, it feels like our life’s work has just expanded.”

      Facing competition from Anthropic

      This represents a strategic acquisition in the enterprise sector. OpenAI is competing with Anthropic, whose Claude Code has fueled significant growth over the past year. Both companies aspire to be the trusted agents for major corporations regarding production systems.

      The timing is critical. OpenAI filed confidentially for an IPO on Monday, just days after Anthropic did the same. Both companies are alerting stakeholders about AI risks while they move towards listing. Revenue from Codex and the credibility in the enterprise market contribute to a compelling investment narrative.

      Ona is just one of several recent acquisitions. OpenAI has also acquired the cybersecurity company Promptfoo and, last year, Jony Ive’s $6 billion hardware firm, io. Each acquisition serves to address specific gaps, with this one being crucial for deploying agents in environments where customers feel secure.

      The agreement still requires regulatory approval. Until it is finalized, the two entities will operate separately. However, the strategy is evident. OpenAI aims to establish Codex wherever serious work occurs and has just secured the infrastructure necessary to achieve that goal.