OpenAI Hires Slack CEO Denise Dresser as Chief Revenue Officer to Drive Profitability Push

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OpenAI has appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief revenue officer, signaling a strategic push toward profitability. With over 14 years at Salesforce and experience scaling AI features, Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and enterprise growth as OpenAI faces mounting pressure to monetize its technology amid fierce competition from Google and others.

OpenAI Appoints Denise Dresser to Lead Revenue Strategy

OpenAI has hired Denise Dresser, the current Slack CEO, as its first chief revenue officer, marking a pivotal moment in the company's enterprise transformation

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. The appointment, confirmed by OpenAI on Tuesday, positions Dresser to oversee the company's global revenue strategy across enterprise and customer success as the AI giant navigates its path to profitability

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. After more than 14 years at Salesforce, Slack's parent company, Dresser brings extensive experience scaling category-defining platforms and integrating AI features into workplace tools

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Source: The Verge

Source: The Verge

Experience Scaling AI Tools for Businesses

During her tenure as Slack CEO since 2023, Dresser oversaw the rollout of several large-scale AI features, including AI-generated meeting summaries, tools that recap channels and threads, and an integration with Salesforce's AI agents

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. She also led the launch of Slackbot as an AI assistant and tools that translate company jargon, demonstrating her capability in making AI useful and accessible for business customers

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. Prior to becoming CEO, Dresser held multiple executive roles in Salesforce's enterprise sales unit, gaining deep expertise in enterprise revenue strategy

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Source: Silicon Republic

Source: Silicon Republic

Growing Enterprise Unit and Monetization Challenges

At OpenAI, Dresser will manage the company's growing enterprise unit, which has expanded rapidly this year, and will report to chief operating officer Brad Lightcap

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. The role is critical as OpenAI grapples with the monetization of AI technologies despite serving more than 1 million business customers and 800 million weekly ChatGPT users

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. The company, valued at $500 billion, currently doesn't make a profit and has committed over $1 trillion in financial obligations to cloud computing providers and chipmakers

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Source: PYMNTS

Source: PYMNTS

Strategic Push Amid Competitive Pressure

Fidji Simo, OpenAI's CEO of Applications who joined earlier this year from Instacart, emphasized that the company is "on a path to put AI tools into the hands of millions of workers, across every industry," noting that Dresser "has led that kind of shift before"

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. The hire comes as OpenAI faces increased competition from rivals including Google, which recently launched Gemini 3, and as Sam Altman set off a "code red" alert in early December urging employees to improve ChatGPT and delay other product developments

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. While OpenAI generates revenue from premium subscriptions to ChatGPT, most users access the free version, and the company hasn't yet pursued advertising revenue like Google does with its search business

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. Dresser's appointment signals to wary investors that OpenAI is serious about achieving profitability from its generative AI platforms

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. Rob Seaman, Slack's chief product officer, will serve as interim CEO of Slack following Dresser's departure, which was announced by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff in a message to staff

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. Salesforce acquired Slack for nearly $28 billion in 2021

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