OpenAI Acquires a Remote Collaboration Platform for Enhanced Team Connectivity

OpenAI is on a major acquisition spree.

Just days after acquiring the database technology firm Rockset, OpenAI has now secured Multi, formerly known as Remotion. Multi is a startup focused on creating a video-first collaboration platform tailored for enterprise users. According to sources, this deal is primarily an acqui-hire, with most of Multi's team—approximately five members—set to join OpenAI following the completion of the acquisition.

Alexander Embiricos, CEO and co-founder of Multi, announced that the platform will cease operations after July 24. “We’re thrilled to announce that Multi is joining OpenAI,” he shared in a blog post. “Thank you to everyone who used Multi. It has been a rewarding experience to build this platform, and we've learned so much from all of you.”

Embiricos, previously a product manager at Dropbox, and co-founder Charley Ho, a former Google software engineer, aimed to create a Zoom-inspired platform that facilitates remote teamwork through video conferencing. Multi provided features enabling collaborative screen sharing for up to 10 participants simultaneously, customizable shortcuts, and automatic deep links for code, designs, and documents.

Charley Ho celebrated the acquisition on Twitter, expressing gratitude to the Multi community: “Excited to share that Multi has been acquired by OpenAI! Thank you to everyone who used Multi, provided feedback, and suggested new features. https://t.co/KU0AroW1tQ” — Charley Ho (@potatoarecool) June 24, 2024.

According to Crunchbase, Multi secured $13 million in funding from venture capital firms such as Greylock and First Round Capital prior to this acquisition.

Much like the Rockset deal, the acquisition of Multi aligns with OpenAI's recent strategy of aggressively investing in enterprise solutions. OpenAI recently disclosed that its corporate tier for its popular AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT, boasts nearly 600,000 users, including 93% of Fortune 500 companies.

In May, OpenAI partnered with PwC to resell its tools to other businesses. The previous month, the organization launched a custom AI model tuning and consulting program aimed at businesses.

These enterprise-focused initiatives appear to be yielding results, with OpenAI's revenue projected to surpass $3.4 billion this year, as reported by The Information.

Given these developments, could we eventually see an enhanced version of ChatGPT equipped with videoconferencing and collaborative features? It’s certainly a possibility, especially as the time between updates to OpenAI’s flagship models continues to lengthen.