OpenAI Exec Reveals New Strategy in Leaked Memo: Attack Anthropic

A leaked internal memo from OpenAI's chief new revenue officer, Denise Dresser, reveals an aggressive competitive strategy focused on undermining rival Anthropic's market position. The document specifically challenges Anthropic's reported $30 billion annualized revenue, claiming the company uses "accounting treatment that makes revenue look bigger than it is" by grossing up revenue-sharing agreements with Google and Amazon. Dresser asserts this overstates Anthropic's true revenue by approximately $8 billion, dropping it to $22 billion—placing them behind OpenAI's reported $24 billion run rate.

The memo provides rare insight into OpenAI's competitive anxieties as its market leadership faces challenges. Dresser acknowledges Anthropic's lead in enterprise coding applications but criticizes their single-product focus, stating "You do not want to be a single-product company in a platform war." She also attacks Anthropic's leadership philosophy, claiming the company is "built on fear, restriction, and the idea that a small group of elites should control AI"—a notable criticism given OpenAI's own history of elite control concerns.

This strategic shift comes alongside OpenAI's new $50 billion investment from Amazon, which Dresser suggests will help overcome limitations from the Microsoft partnership that "limited our ability to meet enterprises where they are." The memo represents a marked escalation in rhetoric between the two AI giants as they compete for enterprise customers and market dominance in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.