Asger Risom
OpenAI appears to have tightened its grip on the enterprise AI market, with fresh data showing a sharp rise in business spending just months after concerns grew about mounting competition from rivals.
OpenAI has strengthened its lead in the corporate AI race, with new figures indicating that businesses are spending more on its tools than ever before. The data suggests companies are moving past experimentation and embedding AI more deeply into everyday operations.
A rebound after doubts
Concerns had surfaced in recent months that OpenAI’s dominance might be under threat, particularly as Google’s Gemini chatbot gained traction and competitors like Anthropic expanded their offerings. However, new data points to a reversal of that narrative.
According to figures released this week, OpenAI regained momentum toward the end of 2025, posting its strongest growth in several months and outpacing rivals in business adoption.
What the data shows
The numbers come from Ramp, a financial technology company that tracks corporate card and bill payments across more than 50,000 US businesses. By analyzing billions of dollars in transactions, Ramp estimates how much companies are spending on AI products and services each month.
Its December 2025 report shows that 46.6% of US businesses were paying for AI tools, up from 45% in November. That marked the biggest month-to-month increase since mid-2025, reflecting a broader acceleration in corporate AI adoption.
Openai drives growth
Much of that increase was linked directly to OpenAI. Ramp’s data shows business usage of OpenAI products climbed to 36.8%, a two-percentage-point jump in a single month and a new high.
The spending gains were spread across both enterprise chat subscriptions and API usage, suggesting OpenAI tools are being used not only by office staff but also by developers and technical teams.
While OpenAI has not disclosed precise paid user figures, the company said in November 2025 that it had reached 1 million business customers.
Rivals still advancing
Competitors are continuing to grow, though at a slower pace. Anthropic’s business adoption rose to 16.7%, driven largely by technology firms making heavy use of its APIs.
Google’s AI adoption reached 4.3%, though Ramp cautioned this likely understates real usage because many companies access Gemini through bundled Google Workspace plans at no extra cost.
Beyond experimentation
Ramp noted that the December surge reflects a shift in how businesses are using AI. Rather than short-term trials, spending now appears tied to recurring, day-to-day functions such as software development, research, finance, sales and customer support.
The data does not capture free AI usage or cases where employees rely on personal accounts for work tasks, meaning overall adoption is likely even higher than reported.
Sources: Ramp, OpenAI, Business Insider
