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OpenAI is doubling down on hiring specialized talent as it scales its technology ecosystem. The ChatGPT-maker is reportedly onboarding the founding team of Convogo, a startup focused on automating leadership assessments and feedback reporting for executive coaches and HR professionals.
The move follows a pattern OpenAI has adopted over the past year bringing in teams rather than products to accelerate work on core infrastructure.
OpenAI has confirmed that it is not acquiring Convogo’s product or intellectual property. Instead, it is hiring Convogo’s three-member founding team, Matt Cooper, Evan Cater, and Mike Gillett. According to reports, the transaction was structured as an all-stock deal.
The founders will join OpenAI to work on its AI cloud initiatives, strengthening the company’s efforts to build scalable tools and platforms built on its models.
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As part of the deal, Convogo will shut down its product. The startup began as a part-time project aimed at reducing the time coaches spend writing detailed leadership reports. Over the past two years, Convogo worked with thousands of executive coaches and partnered with several leadership development firms.
The founders shared a note with users that said their experience highlighted a broader challenge across the AI sector, turning rapid advances in model capability into practical, real-world tools.
The deal marks OpenAI’s ninth acquisition over the past year, according to data from PitchBook. The tech company has largely assimilated or acquired teams that developed products, such as Context.ai and Crossing Minds, into its core operations while shutting down the original projects.
Apart from takeovers, OpenAI has also been expanding its business through alliances. The firm has collaborated with Apple’s former Design Chief Jony Ive’s hardware startup, which still works as an independent venture.
These acquisitions and alliances highlight OpenAI’s preference for talent, infrastructure, and long-term scalability over short-term product growth.
