COMPARISON
OpenAI bought Statsig. Optimizely owns Experimentation.
In September 2025, OpenAI acquired Statsig for $1.1 billion to support a broader product strategy. While current customers remain supported for now, uncertainty about the future makes Optimizely a clear, stable choice for experimentation.
Leading brands choose Optimizely over Statsig
The news - What happened to Statsig?
- In September 2025, OpenAI agreed to acquire Statsig, a Seattle-based experimentation and feature management company, for $1.1 billion
- Optimizely is an independent company that also innovates with AI to accelerate both how you create, deliver and optimize websites.
- Statsig announced it will "continue to serve customers independently from its Seattle office" while gradually integrating into OpenAI's broader product strategy. It's unclear how long this will take and when that integration will be finished.
- OpenAI described the acquisition as an investment in building out its own applications team, not furthering investment into running an independent A/B testing and Experimentation company.
"Joining OpenAI is an extraordinary opportunity to advance AI in ways capable of solving hard problems."
–Vijaye Raji, Statsig founder
While exciting news for AI, it raises an important question: what does this mean for current Statsig customers who depend on its experimentation tools?
The uncertainty for statsig customers
- Absorbed into OpenAI → Statsig’s priorities may shift toward supporting OpenAI’s apps, rather than customer-driven experimentation.
- Roadmap unclear → Beyond “operating independently,” no long-term product guarantees have been made.
- Potential disruption → Engineering focus may be redirected, slowing integrations or support for enterprise customers.
Why Optimizely is the Safer Choice
- Independent & stable – Clear roadmap, not subject to acquisition shifts
- Enterprise-grade – Combines experimentation with personalization, content, commerce, and analytics
- Marketer-friendly – Built for cross-functional teams, not just engineers
- Proven at scale – Trusted by top global enterprises for mission-critical digital experiences
Optimizely vs. Statsig – key differences
Optimizely |
Statsig | |
|---|---|---|
Audience | Built for marketers, product leaders, and cross-functional enterprise teams |
Developer-centric; requires technical ownership |
Core Offering |
Complete platform: experimentation, personalization, CMS, commerce, analytics |
Narrow scope: experimentation, feature flags, product analytics only |
Statistics |
Enterprise-proven statistical engine optimized for business impact | Technical transparency (Bayesian, CUPED, switchbacks) but lacks business-first context |
Integrations |
Broad integrations across the marketing & digital ecosystem | Warehouse-native only (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift); limited marketing ecosystem support |
Pricing | Enterprise alignment with proven ROI at scale | Usage-based, may seem flexible but unpredictable at scale |
Stability & Roadmap |
Trusted long-term provider with consistent investment in enterprise success | Future direction uncertain; priorities may shift to serve OpenAI’s internal products rather than external customers |
What this means for you – FAQs
The press has spoken
Reuters (Acquisition Announcement)
“OpenAI will acquire product testing startup Statsig for $1.1 billion in stock, appointing its founder Vijaye Raji as Chief Technology Officer of Applications.”
— Reuters
Optimizely POV: This signals a major shift: Statsig’s technology and leadership are moving directly into OpenAI’s core operations, creating questions about the independence of its customer offering.
The Verge (Strategic Rationale)
“The deal marks OpenAI’s latest effort to build out its applications team, adding experimentation tools to the company’s product stack.”
— The Verge
Optimizely POV: While this is a win for OpenAI’s internal product development, customers relying on Statsig may wonder how much of the roadmap will still prioritize external use cases.
GeekWire (Continuity Statement)
“Statsig said it will continue to serve customers independently from its Seattle office while integrating into OpenAI’s broader structure.”
— GeekWire
Optimizely POV: This provides short-term reassurance, but “independent while integrating” leaves the long-term direction open to interpretation.