OpenAI acquired Ona, the German cloud development startup formerly known as Gitpod, to give Codex persistent agent infrastructure. The deal lets Codex run autonomous coding tasks for hours or days in customer-controlled cloud environments.
Key facts
- 5 million weekly Codex users, up 400% from start of year
- Ona was founded in Kiel, Germany in 2020 as Gitpod
- Acquisition targets Anthropic's Claude Code for long-running tasks
- OpenAI also acquired Astral (uv, Ruff) in March 2026
- Deal subject to regulatory approvals; price undisclosed
OpenAI is acquiring Ona, previously Gitpod, a startup founded in Kiel, Germany in 2020 that specializes in AI agents and secure cloud development environments for software development. According to The Decoder. The acquisition aims to expand OpenAI's Codex product with persistent, customer-controlled work environments. According to OpenAI, Codex is used by more than 5 million people per week, a 400 percent increase from the beginning of the year.
After the integration, Codex will be able to continue tasks over hours or days, even when the user's laptop is closed. The agents run in each company's own cloud, while OpenAI provides the models and orchestration. "Agents need more than intelligence, they need a trusted workplace," said Ona CEO Johannes Landgraf. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals.
The purchase targets competition with Anthropic, whose Claude Code is considered the leader for long-running coding tasks. Just in March, OpenAI had brought the Python tools uv and Ruff into the Codex ecosystem through its acquisition of Astral, while it, like Anthropic, is taking its first steps toward an IPO.
Why Ona matters more than Astral
Ona's infrastructure is the missing piece for OpenAI's agent ambitions. Codex already has 5 million weekly active users, but without persistent environments, tasks reset when the session ends. Ona brings the "trusted workplace" — a secure, customer-owned cloud sandbox where agents can run for days. This is the same architectural bet Anthropic made with Claude Code, which has been praised for its ability to handle multi-hour refactoring jobs. OpenAI is now matching that capability through acquisition rather than building from scratch.
What the deal means for the IPO narrative
OpenAI is on a shopping spree ahead of its expected IPO. The Ona deal follows March's Astral acquisition and comes as the company reportedly prepares for an IPO later this year. Coatue recently predicted an imminent AI-driven IPO wave. The acquisitions signal that OpenAI is bundling the full stack — model, orchestration, and infrastructure — to present a unified enterprise story to public market investors. The company did not disclose the acquisition price or terms.
What to watch
Watch for OpenAI's IPO filing, expected later this year, and whether Codex's persistent agent infrastructure drives enterprise seat growth past 100K. Also track Anthropic's response — a counter-acquisition or deeper Claude Code enterprise integrations would confirm the arms race is accelerating.
Source: the-decoder.com
