OpenAI executive admits tension with startups that use its models

Tricia Troth, a top European executive at OpenAI, told persons at the Developer Day in London that OpenAI is a “catalyst” for European startups. Troth admits “tension” with startup clients when OpenAI launches rival products. Experts say OpenAI and Anthropic want to have the applications that use their models, which adds competition for European startups.

What OpenAI gives

OpenAI has a startup team of persons from startups and from venture firms. It gives startups:

• access to its AI models
• help to make products with the models
• links to investors and developers
• help with tuning, marketing and customer acquisition

OpenAI has startups as partners from the step before funding to scaleups, such as Lovable and Legora.

The example

Troth pointed to Legora as a startup that is a partner of OpenAI, but that OpenAI can also compete with. Troth says OpenAI has many partners where it sees such tension. Troth also named Wordsmith, a startup that puts AI in its tools.

What is not known

The report gives no figures on how many startups OpenAI helps. Troth declined to name the venture firms that OpenAI has as partners. Troth gave no terms for the Legora work.

Insight: OpenAI keeps startups as partners and also competes with them

On 22 October 2026, OpenAI made its Decisions API to compete with Jev from TypeSafe, a startup that has a value of $7.6 billion. At this time, OpenAI says it is a catalyst for startups. This reads as a plan to keep startups as partners while OpenAI moves into their markets, and the startups can have less control. Look for the startup features that OpenAI launches next.