17 Sources
17 Sources
[1]
Slack CEO Denise Dresser to join OpenAI as chief revenue officer | TechCrunch
OpenAI is hiring Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its new chief revenue officer. The news was first reported by Wired, then confirmed by OpenAI in a blog post. Dresser's new role comes after more than 14 years at Salesforce, Slack's parent company. While at Slack, Dresser oversaw the introduction of several AI features. OpenAI says that Dresser will be responsible for the company's revenue strategy in enterprise and customer success. That's a pivotal role, given that the company has a rocky road ahead if it ever wants to turn a profit. "We're on a path to put AI tools into the hands of millions of workers, across every industry," Fidji Simo, OpenAI's CEO of Applications, said in a statement. "Denise has led that kind of shift before, and her experience will help us make AI useful, reliable, and accessible for businesses everywhere." Like Dresser, Simo also joined OpenAI this year after a long track record of high-profile leadership, most recently as CEO of Instacart, which has become a close partner of OpenAI. According to Wired, Slack's chief product officer, Rob Seaman, will become interim CEO of Slack.
[2]
OpenAI Hires Slack CEO as New Chief Revenue Officer
Slack CEO Denise Dresser is leaving the company and joining OpenAI as the company's chief revenue officer, multiple sources tell WIRED. Marc Benioff, the chief executive of Salesforce, which owns Slack, shared news of Dresser's departure in a message to staff on Monday evening. At OpenAI, Dresser will manage the company's enterprise unit, which has been growing rapidly this year. She will report to chief operating officer Brad Lightcap. She starts next week. "We're on a path to put AI tools into the hands of millions of workers, across every industry," said OpenAI CEO of Applications Fidji Simo in a statement to WIRED. "Denise has led that kind of shift before, and her experience will help us make AI useful, reliable, and accessible for businesses everywhere." Dresser has been at Slack for 14 years, according to Benioff's message. Prior to becoming CEO, she held a number of executive roles in Salesforce's enterprise sales unit. She was appointed CEO in 2023, after the previous CEO, Lidiane Jones, departed for the chief executive role at Bumble. (Jones served as Slack's CEO for about a year.) The company that eventually became Slack was founded in 2009. By 2014 it had become a fast-growing application for workplace chat and collaboration tools. In 2021, the company was acquired by Salesforce for nearly $28 billion. Much of the founding staff of Slack, including cofounders Stewart Butterfield and Cal Henderson, left within a few years of the acquisition. Over time, some of Slack's operations were absorbed into the larger structure of Salesforce, and there were reports of culture clashes between the employees of the once-small startup and the enterprise behemoth. Rob Seaman, Slack's current chief product officer, will become interim CEO of Slack, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the executive changes. Representatives for Slack hadn't responded to WIRED's requests for comment at the time of publication. In Dresser's tenure as Slack's CEO, she oversaw the rollout of several large scale AI features, including AI-generated meeting summaries and an integration with Salesforce's AI agents. Earlier this year, when Elon Musk took on a prominent role in the US government, Dresser occasionally took to X to show support, saying she agreed that federal employees should be required to send bullet-pointed emails about what they've accomplished, and sending a "thumbs up" emoji to a post about President Donald Trump signing an executive order mandating federal agencies to work with Musk's DOGE.
[3]
OpenAI hires Slack's CEO as its chief revenue officer
OpenAI is bringing Slack CEO Denise Dresser on board to serve as the AI giant's chief revenue officer. In an announcement on Tuesday, OpenAI says Dresser will oversee the company's global revenue strategy, while helping "more businesses put AI to work in their day-to-day operations." Dresser has worked at Slack's parent company, Salesforce, for 12 years before becoming the CEO of Slack in 2023. During her time at Slack, Dresser oversaw the release of several new AI features, including a tool that recaps channels and threads, translates company jargon, and the launch of Slackbot as an AI assistant. Rob Seaman, Salesforce's chief product officer, will serve as interim CEO of Slack, according to Wired. OpenAI, which recently announced its for-profit restructuring, said last month that more than 1 million business customers are using its AI tools, while 800 million people use ChatGPT each week. The company only continues to expand features focused on businesses and enterprises, as it launched a tool in October that lets users sift through their workspace information with ChatGPT. Fidji Simo, OpenAI's CEO of applications, says in the press release that the company is "on a path to put AI tools in the hands of millions of workers, across every industry," adding that Dresser "has led that kind of shift before."
[4]
OpenAI hires Slack CEO Denise Dresser to lead global revenue strategy
OpenAI on Tuesday announced that it's tapped Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its new chief revenue officer. Dresser will oversee the artificial intelligence startup's global revenue strategy across both customer success and enterprise, OpenAI said in a release. After spending more than a decade as an executive at Salesforce, Dresser was named Slack's chief executive in 2023. Salesforce acquired the messaging company for more than $27 billion in 2020. "I've spent my career helping scale category-defining platforms, and I'm looking forward to bringing that experience to OpenAI as it enters its next phase of enterprise transformation," Dresser said in a statement. OpenAI kickstarted the generative AI boom with the launch of its chatbot ChatGPT three years ago, and it's quickly ballooned into one of the fastest-growing commercial entities on the planet.
[5]
OpenAI names Slack CEO Dresser as first chief of revenue as ChatGPT maker aims to make a profit
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- OpenAI said Tuesday it has picked Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue, a message to wary investors that the ChatGPT maker is serious about making a profit from its artificial intelligence technology. OpenAI said Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and "will help more businesses put AI to work in their day-to-day operations." Dresser had already spent more than a decade at Salesforce when the software pioneer announced in 2020 it was buying work-chatting service Slack for $27.7 billion. She helped integrate Slack into the software company before Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff picked her as CEO in 2023. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman earlier this month set off a "code red" alert in an internal email to employees to improve its flagship product, ChatGPT, and delay other product developments. OpenAI first released ChatGPT just over three years ago, sparking global fascination and a commercial boom in generative AI technology and giving the San Francisco-based startup an early lead. But the company faces increased competition with rivals, including Google, which last month unleashed Gemini 3, the latest version of its own AI assistant. Altman said this fall that ChatGPT now has more than 800 million weekly users. But the company, valued at $500 billion, doesn't make a profit and has committed more than $1 trillion in financial obligations to the cloud computing providers and chipmakers it relies on to power its AI systems. The risk that OpenAI won't make enough money to fulfill the expectations of backers like Oracle and Nvidia has amplified investor concerns about an AI bubble. OpenAI makes revenue from premium subscriptions to ChatGPT, but most users get the free version. OpenAI introduced its own web browser, Atlas, in October, an attempt to compete with Google's Chrome as more internet users rely on AI to answer their questions. But OpenAI hasn't yet tried to sell ads on ChatGPT, which is how Google makes money from its dominant search business. Altman's early December memo said the company was delaying work on advertising, AI agents for health and shopping, and a personal assistant called Pulse.
[6]
Slack's CEO is joining OpenAI to find the money to pay for all those data centers
OpenAI has announced that Denise Dresser, the current CEO of Slack, will be the company's new Chief Revenue Officer. Dresser will oversee the company's revenue strategy "across enterprise and customer success," according to OpenAI's announcement, and will presumably play a key role in leading the company towards profitability now that it's reorganized as a public benefit corporation. "We're on a path to put AI tools into the hands of millions of workers, across every industry," Fidji Simo, OpenAI's CEO of Products said in the announcement. "Denise has led that kind of shift before, and her experience will help us make AI useful, reliable, and accessible for businesses everywhere." Simo joined OpenAI in May of this year, after serving as CEO of Instacart, and before that, the head of Facebook at Meta. Hiring Simo and Dresser could be a good indication of how OpenAI plans to approach ChatGPT going forward. Which is to say, the company is taking a very Silicon Valley approach to growing its chatbot business and focusing on scale and monetizing as many AI interactions as possible. It's not a mistake that Simo helped establish Meta's ads business and OpenAI is reportedly planning to introduce ads into chats with its AI models. Even with the possibility of ad revenue, Dresser will still have to overcome what OpenAI continues to spend to offer its various AI products. OpenAI pays for multiple partnerships for data center access and has commitments to both buy and build server components for those data centers. Add in the cost of just processing a ChatGPT query itself, and growing the company's revenue seems like a tall order.
[7]
Open AI poaches Slack CEO as its chief revenue officer
Denise Dresser played an important role in Slack's AI integration strategy Slack CEO Denise Dresser will be leaving Slack to join OpenAI as the ChatGPT-maker's Chief Revenue Officer, with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff notifying company workers earlier this week of the CEO's departure. Dresser will report to OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap in her new role, overseeing enterprise affairs and managing the company's global revenue strategy, beginning December 2025. OpenAI credited Dresser for her understanding of large businesses, customers and product scaling. OpenAI didn't shy away from mentioning Dresser's previous role at Slack, where she "helped redefine how millions of people use AI to work more efficiently and stay better connected." With companies shifting from experimentation to implementation, OpenAI sees this as a good time to hire an experienced C-suite exec to oversee revenue. "We're on a path to put AI tools into the hands of millions of workers, across every industry. Denise has led that kind of shift before, and her experience will help us make AI useful, reliable, and accessible for businesses everywhere," OpenAI Applications CEO Fidji Simo wrote. Dresser became Slack's CEO in 2023 after a history of other high-ranking roles within the Salesforce portfolio, and played an important role in the company's AI integration strategy. "I've spent my career helping scale category-defining platforms, and I'm looking forward to bringing that experience to OpenAI as it enters its next phase of enterprise transformation," she wrote. This comes as OpenAI continues to expand, with an estimated one million business customers on its books and 800 million weekly ChatGPT users. The appointment off a Chief Revenue Officer is also a timely one, because OpenAI recently underwent a for-profit restructuring, though signs that the company may go fully public are few and far between at this stage.
[8]
Slack CEO leaves Salesforce to become OpenAI's first revenue chief, tackle multibillion-dollar losses | Fortune
OpenAI said Tuesday it has picked Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue, a message to wary investors that the ChatGPT maker is serious about making a profit from its artificial intelligence technology. OpenAI said Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and "help more businesses put AI to work in their day-to-day operations." Dresser had already spent more than a decade at Salesforce when the software pioneer announced in 2020 it was buying work-chatting service Slack for $27.7 billion. She helped integrate Slack into the software company before Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff picked her as CEO in 2023. Salesforce said in a statement that it was "grateful for Denise's leadership during her 14 years at Salesforce." Rob Seaman, Slack's chief product officer, will take over her responsibilities on an interim basis. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman earlier this month set off a "code red" alert in an internal email to employees to improve its flagship product, ChatGPT, and delay other product developments. OpenAI first released ChatGPT just over three years ago, sparking global fascination and a commercial boom in generative AI technology and giving the San Francisco-based startup an early lead. But the company faces increased competition with rivals, including Google, which last month unleashed Gemini 3, the latest version of its own AI assistant. Altman has said ChatGPT now has more than 800 million weekly users. But the company, valued at $500 billion, doesn't make a profit and has committed more than $1 trillion in financial obligations to the cloud computing providers and chipmakers it relies on to power its AI systems. The risk that OpenAI won't make enough money to fulfill the expectations of backers like Oracle and Nvidia has amplified investor concerns about an AI bubble. OpenAI makes revenue from premium subscriptions to ChatGPT, but most users get the free version. OpenAI introduced its own web browser, Atlas, in October, an attempt to compete with Google's Chrome as more internet users rely on AI to answer their questions. But OpenAI hasn't yet tried to sell ads on ChatGPT, which is how Google makes money from its dominant search business.
[9]
OpenAI taps Slack CEO Denise Dresser as chief revenue officer
Slack's current chief product officer Rob Seaman will take over as interim CEO, reports Wired. Slack CEO Denise Dresser is leaving to join OpenAI as its new chief revenue officer (CRO). In her new role, Dresser is expected to help accelerate enterprise AI adoption. Dresser spent more than a decade in Salesforce. She was named Slack CEO in 2023, a few years after the messaging platform was acquired by Salesforce for more than $27bn. She has also spent a number of years in Oracle as a regional manager. "I've spent my career helping scale category-defining platforms, and I'm looking forward to bringing that experience to OpenAI as it enters its next phase of enterprise transformation," the new CRO said. Wired reports that Slack's current chief product officer Rob Seaman will take over as interim CEO at the company. OpenAI is on an aggressive spending spree to expand its business and infrastructure, having inked more than $1.4trn worth of deals in recent months. The start-up's focus is to integrate its AI tools deeper into enterprises, with ChatGPT already nearing 900m weekly active users just a few years since launching. "We're on a path to put AI tools into the hands of millions of workers, across every industry," said Fidji Simo, the company's CEO of Applications. "Denise has led that kind of shift before, and her experience will help us make AI useful, reliable, and accessible for businesses everywhere." Simo was previously CEO at Instacart before joining OpenAI earlier this year. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said that OpenAI will not generate profit until 2029 and expects to lose around $44bn until it does so. Although, the company is on track to generate more than $20bn in revenue this year, Altman said recently, with plans to grow to hundreds of billions in sales by 2030. Don't miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic's digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.
[10]
OpenAI hires Slack CEO Denise Dresser as Chief Revenue Officer
OpenAI has appointed Denise Dresser, the current CEO of Slack, as its new Chief Revenue Officer to oversee revenue strategy across enterprise and customer success, as the company reorganizes as a public-benefit corporation to pursue profitability. Dresser will manage OpenAI's efforts to generate revenue from its AI offerings, including tools like ChatGPT. This role positions her to address the financial demands of expanding AI infrastructure. OpenAI's announcement highlights her background in leading technology companies through growth phases, drawing from her tenure at Slack where she navigated sales and customer engagement strategies. Fidji Simo, OpenAI's CEO of Products, commented on the appointment in the announcement: "We're on a path to put AI tools into the hands of millions of workers, across every industry." Simo further elaborated: "Denise has led that kind of shift before, and her experience will help us make AI useful, reliable, and accessible for businesses everywhere." These statements underscore Dresser's expected contributions to broadening AI adoption in professional settings. Simo herself joined OpenAI in May of this year, following her role as CEO of Instacart. Prior to that, she served as the head of Facebook at Meta, where she played a central part in developing the company's advertising operations. Her expertise in monetization aligns with OpenAI's current priorities. The hires of Simo and Dresser reflect OpenAI's adoption of a Silicon Valley-style strategy for expanding its chatbot business, centered on achieving scale and monetizing AI interactions. Simo's involvement in Meta's ads business coincides with reports of OpenAI's plans to integrate advertisements into conversations with its AI models. Potential revenue from advertisements represents one avenue for growth, yet Dresser faces substantial operational expenses. OpenAI maintains multiple partnerships for data-center access and has secured commitments to purchase and construct server components for these facilities. The processing of each ChatGPT query incurs direct costs, contributing to the overall financial challenges in scaling the company's AI products.
[11]
OpenAI names Slack CEO Dresser as first chief of revenue as ChatGPT maker aims to make a profit
SAN FRANCISCO -- OpenAI said Tuesday it has picked Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue, a message to wary investors that the ChatGPT maker is serious about making a profit from its artificial intelligence technology. OpenAI said Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and "will help more businesses put AI to work in their day-to-day operations." Dresser had already spent more than a decade at Salesforce when the software pioneer announced in 2020 it was buying work-chatting service Slack for $27.7 billion. She helped integrate Slack into the software company before Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff picked her as CEO in 2023. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman earlier this month set off a "code red" alert in an internal email to employees to improve its flagship product, ChatGPT, and delay other product developments. OpenAI first released its flagship product just over three years ago, sparking global fascination and a commercial boom in generative AI technology and giving the San Francisco-based startup an early lead. But the company faces increased competition with rivals, including Google, which last month unleashed Gemini 3, the latest version of its own AI assistant. Altman said this fall that ChatGPT now has more than 800 million weekly users. But the company, valued at $500 billion, doesn't make a profit and has committed more than $1 trillion in financial obligations to the cloud computing providers and chipmakers it relies on to power its AI systems. The risk that OpenAI won't make enough money to fulfill the expectations of backers like Oracle and Nvidia has amplified investor concerns about an AI bubble. OpenAI makes revenue from premium subscriptions to ChatGPT, but most users get the free version. OpenAI introduced its own web browser, Atlas, in October, an attempt to compete with Google's Chrome as more internet users rely on AI to answer their questions. But OpenAI hasn't yet tried to sell ads on ChatGPT, which is how Google makes money from its dominant search business. Altman's early December memo said the company was delaying work on advertising, AI agents for health and shopping, and a personal assistant called Pulse.
[12]
OpenAI names Slack CEO Dresser as first chief of revenue as ChatGPT maker aims to make a profit
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- OpenAI said Tuesday it has picked Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its first chief of revenue, a message to wary investors that the ChatGPT maker is serious about making a profit from its artificial intelligence technology. OpenAI said Dresser will oversee global revenue strategy and "will help more businesses put AI to work in their day-to-day operations." Dresser had already spent more than a decade at Salesforce when the software pioneer announced in 2020 it was buying work-chatting service Slack for $27.7 billion. She helped integrate Slack into the software company before Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff picked her as CEO in 2023. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman earlier this month set off a "code red" alert in an internal email to employees to improve its flagship product, ChatGPT, and delay other product developments. OpenAI first released ChatGPT just over three years ago, sparking global fascination and a commercial boom in generative AI technology and giving the San Francisco-based startup an early lead. But the company faces increased competition with rivals, including Google, which last month unleashed Gemini 3, the latest version of its own AI assistant. Altman said this fall that ChatGPT now has more than 800 million weekly users. But the company, valued at $500 billion, doesn't make a profit and has committed more than $1 trillion in financial obligations to the cloud computing providers and chipmakers it relies on to power its AI systems. The risk that OpenAI won't make enough money to fulfill the expectations of backers like Oracle and Nvidia has amplified investor concerns about an AI bubble. OpenAI makes revenue from premium subscriptions to ChatGPT, but most users get the free version. OpenAI introduced its own web browser, Atlas, in October, an attempt to compete with Google's Chrome as more internet users rely on AI to answer their questions. But OpenAI hasn't yet tried to sell ads on ChatGPT, which is how Google makes money from its dominant search business. Altman's early December memo said the company was delaying work on advertising, AI agents for health and shopping, and a personal assistant called Pulse.
[13]
OpenAI taps Slack CEO Denise Dresser as chief revenue officer - The Economic Times
OpenAI has made headlines by hiring Denise Dresser, ex-CEO of Slack, as its new Chief Revenue Officer, reflecting a decisive venture into the business-to-business market. This development aligns with the surge of companies adopting AI solutions to enhance productivity.OpenAI on Tuesday appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its chief revenue officer, as the ChatGPT maker looks to expand its enterprise business. Dresser will oversee OpenAI's global revenue strategy, including enterprise sales and customer success. At Slack, she led the messaging platform through its integration with Salesforce following the $27.7 billion acquisition in 2021. Before that, Dresser spent more than a decade at Salesforce, where she managed global sales operations. The appointment comes as companies increasingly embed AI into core processes rather than limiting its use to experimental projects. OpenAI said its tools are helping workers save time and complete tasks previously considered out of reach. In September, The Information reported that OpenAI generated around $4.3 billion in revenue in the first half of 2025, about 16% more than it generated in 2024. OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, has seen rapid growth in business use of its AI models. The company said more than one million organizations, including Walmart, Morgan Stanley and Target, use its technology for internal operations and customer-facing applications.
[14]
OpenAI Appoints Ex-Slack CEO As Chief Revenue Officer To Drive Enterprise Expansion - Salesforce (NYSE:CRM)
OpenAI has appointed Denise Dresser as its new Chief Revenue Officer to lead the expansion of its enterprise business. Dresser to Lead OpenAI's Revenue Strategy Dresser, who was previously the CEO of Slack, will now be responsible for OpenAI's global revenue strategy, including enterprise sales and customer success, the AI firm said on Tuesday. Her extensive experience in leading the integration of Slack with Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) following its $27.7 billion acquisition in 2021 is expected to be a significant asset to OpenAI. Fidji Simo, OpenAI's CEO of Products, said the company is on a path to bring AI tools to millions of workers across industries. She noted that Denise has previously led similar transformations and that her experience will support OpenAI's goal of making AI useful, reliable, and accessible for businesses everywhere. See Also: Narendra Modi Meets With Satya Nadella As Microsoft Unveils Record $17.5 Billion Investment In India, Intel Deepens Chip Ties With Tata Revenue Role Critical Amid Cost Crunch The appointment of Dresser comes at a time when OpenAI faces steep infrastructure and operational costs, making revenue generation crucial. As a result, the Chief Revenue Officer's role is critical, not just to drive growth, but to establish a sustainable revenue model aligned to the company's large-scale operations. In a podcast, CEO Sam Altman revealed that the company's revenue far exceeded the widely cited $13 billion annual estimate, which could reach $100 billion by 2027. This was followed by a recently reported Code Red pivot where the company paused its monetization roadmap to focus on product quality, which includes the integration of search ads, "agentic" shopping features, and the "Pulse" personal assistant. OpenAI is urgently shifting resources to address ChatGPT's latency and reasoning issues amid growing pressure from Google's rapidly rising Gemini 3, which has quickly eaten into its market share since its launch. READ NEXT: Sam Altman Sounds Alarm As ChatGPT Explodes Globally: 'Rate Of Change' Sparks AI Anxiety, Job Fears Image via Shutterstock Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. CRMSalesforce Inc$260.00-0.39%OverviewMarket News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs
[15]
OpenAI Appoints Former Slack CEO Denise Dresser as Chief Revenue Officer | PYMNTS.com
By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions. In this role, Dresser will oversee the artificial intelligence (AI) startup's global revenue strategy across enterprise and customer success and will "help more businesses put AI to work in their day-to-day operations," OpenAI said in a Tuesday (Dec. 9) blog post. "We're on a path to put AI tools into the hands of millions of workers, across every industry," Fidji Simo, CEO of applications at OpenAI, said in the post. "Denise has led that kind of shift before, and her experience will help us make AI useful, reliable and accessible for businesses everywhere." At Slack, Dresser led the company through its integration with Salesforce, according to the post. Before that, Dresser was with Salesforce for more than a decade, building and leading global sales organizations, per the post. Dresser joins OpenAI at a time when companies are looking to implement AI across their organization and have it power their most important processes and applications, the post said. "I've spent my career helping scale category-defining platforms, and I'm looking forward to bringing that experience to OpenAI as it enters its next phase of enterprise transformation," Dresser said in the post. OpenAI said in November that its number of business customers around the world had topped 1 million. The company said that figure "includes all organizations that actively pay OpenAI for business use -- either through ChatGPT for Work, or through direct consumption of our models through our developer platform." "Our enterprise momentum is fueled in part by consumer adoption," OpenAI said in a Nov. 5 blog post. "With more than 800 million weekly users already familiar with ChatGPT, adoption and ROI within businesses is realized more rapidly -- pilots are shorter and rollouts face less friction." In the same blog post, OpenAI cited a recent study from Wharton that found that 75% of enterprises saw a positive return on investment from AI, while under 5% report a negative return. "While there are many studies on this topic, this one reflects what we see on the ground today with our customers: when AI is deployed with the right use case and infrastructure, teams see real results," the company said.
[16]
OpenAI taps Slack CEO Denise Dresser as chief revenue officer
OpenAI on Tuesday appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its chief revenue officer, as the ChatGPT maker looks to expand its enterprise business. Dresser will oversee OpenAI's global revenue strategy, including enterprise sales and customer success. At Slack, she led the messaging platform through its integration with Salesforce following the US$27.7 billion acquisition in 2021. Before that, Dresser spent more than a decade at Salesforce, where she managed global sales operations. The appointment comes as companies increasingly embed AI into core processes rather than limiting its use to experimental projects. OpenAI said its tools are helping workers save time and complete tasks previously considered out of reach. In September, The Information reported that OpenAI generated around US$4.3 billion in revenue in the first half of 2025, about 16 per cent more than it generated in 2024. OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, has seen rapid growth in business use of its AI models. The company said more than one million organizations, including Walmart, Morgan Stanley and Target, use its technology for internal operations and customer-facing applications.
[17]
Slack CEO Denise Dresser joins OpenAI as chief revenue officer By Investing.com
Investing.com -- OpenAI appointed Slack CEO Denise Dresser as its chief revenue officer on Tuesday as the ChatGPT maker aims to grow its enterprise business. In her new role, Dresser will be responsible for OpenAI's global revenue strategy, including enterprise sales and customer success operations. Dresser brings significant experience from her time at Slack, where she guided the messaging platform through its integration with Salesforce after the $27.7 billion acquisition in 2021. Prior to her leadership position at Slack, Dresser spent over ten years at Salesforce, where she was in charge of global sales operations. This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.
Share
Share
Copy Link
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 has hired Denise Dresser, the current Slack CEO, as its first chief revenue officer, marking a pivotal moment in the company's enterprise transformation
1
. 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 profitability2
. 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 tools4
.
Source: The Verge
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
2
3
. 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 customers3
. Prior to becoming CEO, Dresser held multiple executive roles in Salesforce's enterprise sales unit, gaining deep expertise in enterprise revenue strategy2
.
Source: Silicon Republic
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
2
. 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 users3
5
. 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 chipmakers5
.
Source: PYMNTS
Related Stories
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"
1
3
. 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 developments5
. 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 business5
. Dresser's appointment signals to wary investors that OpenAI is serious about achieving profitability from its generative AI platforms5
. 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 staff2
3
. Salesforce acquired Slack for nearly $28 billion in 20212
.Summarized by
Navi
1
Science and Research

2
Policy and Regulation

3
Technology
