OpenAI, Anthropic launch consulting arms

OpenAI and Anthropic did announce new enterprise services businesses this month, but the posts circulating on X misstated some of the details. OpenAI said on May 11 that it launched the OpenAI Deployment Company, a new company designed to help organizations build and deploy AI systems across core work. Anthropic said on May 4 that it formed a separate AI services company with Blackstone, Hellman & Friedman and Goldman Sachs to bring Claude into mid-sized companies’ operations. Neither announcement described a joint OpenAI-Anthropic effort, and OpenAI’s post did not present Goldman Sachs as a lead backer. ### Did both companies really launch consulting-style arms? OpenAI on May 11 said the OpenAI Deployment Company will embed “Forward Deployed Engineers” inside customer organizations to redesign workflows and build durable AI systems. The company said the new unit is majority-owned and controlled by OpenAI and will work with customers either alongside OpenAI or directly. Anthropic on May 4 said its new AI services company will place engineers alongside Anthropic’s Applied AI staff to identify where Claude can have the most impact, build custom systems and support customers over time. (openai.com) Anthropic said the firm is aimed at mid-sized companies across sectors. ### Was Goldman Sachs the main financial backer in both cases? Goldman Sachs was named in both announcements, but not in the same role. (openai.com) OpenAI said its Deployment Company is a partnership with 19 investment firms, consultancies and system integrators, led by TPG, with Advent, Bain Capital and Brookfield as co-lead founding partners; Goldman Sachs was listed as a founding partner, not the lead. (anthropic.com) Anthropic named Goldman Sachs as one of four founding partners alongside Blackstone and Hellman & Friedman, and said the new firm is also backed by General Atlantic, Leonard Green, Apollo Global Management, GIC and Sequoia Capital. Anthropic’s post did not disclose a dollar amount in the company announcement itself. ### What exactly will these groups sell to customers? OpenAI said its engineers will work with business leaders, operators and frontline teams to find high-impact use cases, redesign infrastructure and critical workflows, and turn those changes into systems that can be used every day. (openai.com) The company tied the launch to its agreement to acquire Tomoro, an applied AI consulting and engineering firm. (anthropic.com) Anthropic said a typical engagement will start with a small team assessing where Claude can help most, followed by engineers building Claude-powered systems tailored to each organization. Anthropic’s examples included healthcare workflows such as documentation, coding, prior authorizations and compliance reviews. ### What numbers in the announcements are verified? OpenAI said the Deployment Company will start with more than $4 billion of initial investment and gain about 150 experienced forward-deployed engineers and deployment specialists through the Tomoro acquisition. (openai.com) CNBC, citing OpenAI Chief Revenue Officer Denise Dresser, also reported that enterprise accounts for more than 40% of OpenAI’s revenue and is expected to reach parity with consumer revenue by the end of 2026. (anthropic.com) CNBC reported on May 11 that Anthropic’s new firm was aimed at faster AI adoption and described it as a $1.5 billion venture backed by Blackstone and Goldman Sachs, but Anthropic’s own May 4 announcement did not include that figure. That means the existence of Anthropic’s services company is directly confirmed by Anthropic, while the valuation or capital figure requires reliance on outside reporting. (openai.com) ### Did the companies hide the news or skip formal announcements? Anthropic posted its announcement in its newsroom on May 4, and OpenAI published its announcement on its website on May 11. The claim that neither company had issued a formal release by May 15 is not supported by those company posts. Denise Dresser told CNBC on May 11 that OpenAI sees enterprise adoption at a “tipping point,” and OpenAI’s April 8 enterprise strategy note said customers were asking how to make AI part of everyday work across a company. (anthropic.com) Anthropic, in its own announcement, said demand for Claude was outpacing any single delivery model, according to Chief Financial Officer Krishna Rao. ### What should readers watch next? (anthropic.com) OpenAI said the Deployment Company will use its initial investment to scale operations and acquire firms that can accelerate the effort, starting with Tomoro. Anthropic said its new firm will extend delivery capacity beyond the systems integrators already in its Claude Partner Network. The next verifiable updates are likely to appear on OpenAI’s company index and Anthropic’s newsroom, where both companies published the May announcements. (cnbc.com) (openai.com)