OpenAI Acquires Remote Collaboration Platform

OpenAI is on a buying spree.

Just days after acquiring database tech firm Rockset, OpenAI has purchased Multi (formerly Remotion), a startup focused on enterprise video collaboration. According to a source, the deal is an acqui-hire, with most of Multi’s team — around five people — joining OpenAI.

Alexander Embiricos, Multi’s CEO and co-founder, announced that Multi will shut down after July 24. 

“We’re beyond excited to share that Multi is joining OpenAI,” he wrote on Multi’s blog. “Thank you to everybody who used Multi. It was a privilege building with you, and we learned a ton from you.”

Multi, founded by Embiricos (an ex-Dropbox product manager) and co-founder Charley Ho (an ex-Google software engineer), aimed to create a Zoom-based platform for remote teams, featuring collaborative tools like simultaneous screen sharing for up to 10 people, customizable shortcuts, and automatic deep links for code, designs, and documents.

Crunchbase data shows that Multi raised $13 million from VCs including Greylock and First Round Capital prior to the acquisition.

The Multi acquisition aligns with OpenAI’s strategy of bolstering its enterprise offerings. Recently, OpenAI reported that the corporate tier of its AI-powered chatbot platform, ChatGPT, has nearly 600,000 users, including 93% of Fortune 500 companies.

In May, OpenAI signed an agreement with PwC to resell its tools to other businesses. The previous month, the company launched a business-oriented custom AI model tuning and consulting program.

These enterprise-focused moves appear to be paying off, with OpenAI’s revenue expected to surpass $3.4 billion this year, according to The Information.

Given OpenAI’s expanding corporate product lineup, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a future version of ChatGPT with integrated videoconferencing and remote collaboration features.