OpenAI scoops up remote collaboration startup Multi

OpenAI is quietly building out an enterprise empire, and it is not slowing down.

Just days after snapping up enterprise database provider Rockset, OpenAI has acquired Multi, a video-first collaboration platform previously known as Remotion.

According to a source familiar with the deal, this is technically an acqui-hire. Most of Multi’s tight-knit five-person team will join OpenAI, while its standalone app will officially shut down after July 24.

An acqui-hire for remote workspace tech

Multi was founded by former Dropbox product manager Alexander Embiricos and ex-Google engineer Charley Ho.

The duo set out to build a platform on top of Zoom that felt less like passive screen sharing and more like working in the same room.

Multi allowed up to 10 people to share screens and collaborate simultaneously. It also featured deep integrations with customizable shortcuts and automatic deep linking into code, design files, and documents.

Before taking this exit, the startup raised $13 million from heavy hitters including Greylock and First Round Capital. Now, all that intellectual horsepower is heading to OpenAI.

OpenAI's aggressive enterprise landgrab

This purchase fits right into OpenAI's massive monetization playbook.

OpenAI recently shared that its business tier for ChatGPT now has nearly 600,000 users, including 93% of Fortune 500 companies.

In April, the company rolled out enterprise consulting and custom model tuning. In May, it locked in PwC as both a major customer and an enterprise reseller.

The enterprise push is clearly working. The Information recently reported that OpenAI is on track to eclipse $3.4 billion in annual revenue.

Why it matters

If you have been wondering how ChatGPT evolves beyond a single-player chatbot interface, this acquisition provides a massive clue.

For enterprise teams, remote collaboration today is fragmented between video calls, code editors, and AI windows. By absorbing Multi’s tech, OpenAI could bring multi-user screen sharing and real-time multiplayer co-working directly into its workspace.

For the broader industry, this pushes OpenAI deeper into turf traditionally held by Slack, Zoom, and even Microsoft Teams. We think it is a smart, low-risk way to buy product polish while flagship model training runs in the background.

That said, integrating niche collaboration tooling into a platform serving hundreds of millions of users is notoriously messy. We will have to see whether Multi’s shared-desktop vision survives inside ChatGPT or gets lost in the shuffle.