Facing a projected $14 billion loss in 2026, the AI giant taps the Salesforce veteran to mature its enterprise business and secure profitability.
In a definitive move to solidify its dominance in the enterprise software market, OpenAI has appointed Denise Dresser, the Chief Executive Officer of Slack, as its first dedicated Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). The announcement, made on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, marks a pivotal shift for the artificial intelligence heavyweight as it transitions from a research-centric laboratory to a commercially aggressive public-benefit corporation.
According to reports from CNBC and Reuters, Dresser will officially assume her new role next week, reporting directly to OpenAI Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap. Her mandate is clear and critical: oversee the company's global revenue strategy, manage enterprise sales, and drive customer success. This high-profile hiring comes at a moment of financial urgency for the ChatGPT maker, which is navigating a complex path toward profitability amidst soaring operational costs.
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The recruitment of Dresser is being described by industry observers as a "major executive coup." Techbuzz notes that poaching a sitting CEO from a major Salesforce subsidiary represents a "seismic shift in the enterprise AI landscape." However, the motivation behind this aggressive talent acquisition appears to be grounded in stark financial realities.
According to data cited by WinBuzzer, OpenAI is facing a projected loss of $14 billion in 2026. To address this gap, the company is actively separating its sales functions from its broader operations to create a more focused revenue-generating machine. By bringing in a seasoned executive with deep ties to the Salesforce ecosystem, OpenAI is signaling to investors that it is serious about closing the gap between its technological breakthroughs and its bottom line.
Dresser's background makes her uniquely suited for this challenge. Having served as CEO of Slack since 2023 and spending over a decade at Salesforce prior to that, she possesses extensive experience in selling communication and productivity tools to large organizations. Yahoo Finance reports that her primary objective will be to "help more businesses put AI to work in their day-to-day operations."
"We're thrilled to announce that Denise Dresser is joining as Chief Revenue Officer, overseeing OpenAI's global revenue strategy across enterprise and customer success." - OpenAI Statement
This appointment aligns with OpenAI's broader strategy to expand business adoption of its products. As Bloomberg analysis suggests, the company is pushing hard to move beyond individual consumer subscriptions (like ChatGPT Plus) and lock in lucrative, long-term enterprise contracts that offer stability and scale.
The arrival of a dedicated CRO is part of a larger organizational transformation. Dataconomy reports that OpenAI is currently reorganizing as a public-benefit corporation. This structural change is designed to allow the company to pursue profitability more effectively while ostensibly maintaining its core mission of safe AGI development.
Adweek confirms that Dresser's tenure begins immediately next week, placing her in the cockpit during what the publication describes as the company's "most financially turbulent stretch yet." Her ability to translate hype into signed contracts will be tested immediately as the fiscal year turns.
The departure of a CEO from a major Salesforce subsidiary to an AI startup-even one as large as OpenAI-indicates a continued power shift in Silicon Valley. It underscores that the center of gravity for enterprise software innovation has decisively moved toward generative AI. For Salesforce and Slack, this represents a significant leadership vacuum to fill, while for OpenAI, it represents a maturation of its C-suite.
With Dresser at the revenue helm, experts anticipate OpenAI will adopt more traditional, aggressive enterprise sales tactics: bundled services, seat-based licensing, and deeper integration into existing corporate workflows-ironically, much like the strategies used by Slack and Salesforce.
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