OpenAI Gains Ground on Anthropic in Business AI Race, New Data Shows

As OpenAI and Anthropic approach their anticipated IPOs, financial disclosures remain pending, prompting analysts to rely on alternative indicators. Recent data from Ramp, a corporate credit card and expense management platform, offers surprising insights: OpenAI is beginning to close the gap with Anthropic among U.S. businesses. OpenAI, which once dominated both consumer and business markets, lost its lead among Ramp's paying business users in May. At that time, Anthropic claimed 41% market share versus OpenAI's 39%. Despite efforts, OpenAI has not regained the top spot—as of July, Anthropic holds nearly 44% compared to OpenAI's 40%. The data encompasses over 70,000 American businesses that spend billions through Ramp's bill pay and corporate card services. While these customers span various industries, the platform's popularity in Silicon Valley means a tech-heavy skew. A closer look at recent trends, according to Ramp economist Ara Kharazian, reveals that OpenAI is currently growing faster in this segment during Q3 to date. However, with a month still ahead in the quarter—an eternity in AI time—trends could easily reverse. Ramp declined to disclose actual spending figures, sharing only percentages. This data, while not representing the entire market—large enterprises often use tools from providers like American Express—offers a valuable indicator. It suggests that Anthropic's lead is not permanent; businesses are willing to switch providers as each lab releases new models. This volatility should caution investors about the true "stickiness" of enterprise AI spending. Kharazian commented on X, "GPT-5.6 Sol is really good, increasingly the choice for developers. Fable 5, meanwhile, disappointed both in adoption and real-world application given price + data retention requirements imposed by regulators." This statement may oversimplify the situation. Fable, Anthropic's premium model tier, is expensive but designed for specific use cases beyond general chatbots. Still, Anthropic faced backlash when it announced a 30-day data retention policy for Fable users, as reported by TechCrunch. Ramp's data also indicates that both companies should see growing business revenue, even amid market share battles, due to an expanding overall market. The percentage of Ramp customers paying for AI has steadily climbed, surpassing 50% in March and reaching nearly 56% by July. This suggests a robust and growing demand for AI solutions among businesses, benefiting both OpenAI and Anthropic.

via TechCrunch AI