OpenAI opens first Australian office, reveals commercial partners

OpenAI has officially opened its first Australian office with a closed-door Sydney launch event attended by senior business, tech and government leaders, but with no media present and no details released on who will run the local operation.

The event, held on Monday, featured presentations from Canva chief executive Melanie Perkins, NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey and CommBank group strategy lead Stuart Munro. Jason Kwon, OpenAI’s chief strategy officer, flew in for the launch, describing Australia as “well-placed to lead the world in AI” and saying a dedicated local team signalled the company’s “long-term commitment” to the market.

Despite the fanfare, OpenAI did not name local leadership, outline its team structure or specify headcount for Australia. The company confirmed only that the Sydney office will initially support local customers, partners and developers before expanding into more technical roles over time.

Australia is already one of OpenAI’s most active markets, ranking in the global top 10 for paid ChatGPT users and for developers building on the platform. Weekly active usage has more than doubled in the past year.

The company highlighted its growing list of commercial partnerships across the region, including CommBank, Coles, Wesfarmers, Canva, Fortescue, REA Group, the NRL, Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand. Usage spans fraud detection, customer experience, workforce upskilling, maintenance planning, digital shopping and AI-supported education.

OpenAI will follow the launch with its first Sydney Founder Day on Wednesday - a hands-on event for builders and developers that also marks the rollout of a local start-up program offering API credits and mentoring through partner venture funds.

With the office now open and enterprise adoption accelerating, industry focus will shift to the unanswered question: who is leading OpenAI Australia, and how large will its local presence become?