OpenAI has hired the team behind Crossing Minds, a startup specializing in artificial intelligence-driven recommendation systems for e-commerce companies. The announcement was made public by Crossing Minds on Thursday, confirming its team will be joining OpenAI.
Founded to enhance personalization and recommendations for online retailers, Crossing Minds claimed to utilize customers’ on-site behavior data to gain insights into shopping preferences while maintaining user privacy. The startup drew attention and funding from several notable investors, including Index Ventures, Shopify, Plug and Play, and Radical Ventures, having raised over $13.5 million through various funding rounds.
“Joining OpenAI allows us to apply our expertise and values to a mission we deeply admire—ensuring artificial general intelligence benefits humanity. We’re thrilled to contribute our skills and energy to a team shaping the future direction of AI. We look forward to learning, contributing, and playing a part in what comes next,” Crossing Minds’ co-founders stated in an announcement on their website.
One of the startup’s co-founders, Alexandre Robicquet, has updated his LinkedIn profile, reflecting his new position as part of the “Research, Post-training, and Agents” team at OpenAI. It remains unclear whether every member of Crossing Minds has transitioned to OpenAI.
Crossing Minds also announced it will no longer take on new clients. Previously, according to an archived webpage, the startup listed several high-profile clients, including Intuit, Anthropic, Udacity, and Chanel.
The move highlights a broader trend in the AI sector, as tech giants and startups alike invest substantial resources in AI-enhanced shopping features. Companies like Google and Perplexity have recently introduced advanced recommendation tools, while startups such as Daydream have attracted significant investments to develop AI shopping assistants. Earlier this year, OpenAI added features to its ChatGPT platform, enabling it to make recommendations, supply images, and provide user reviews.
OpenAI has not yet commented publicly regarding this acquisition.
