Editorial illustration for Anthropic leads OpenAI 44% to 40% in business spend, Ramp data shows
Anthropic Beats OpenAI in Enterprise Spending: 44% vs 40%
Anthropic leads OpenAI 44% to 40% in business spend, Ramp data shows
Neither OpenAI nor Anthropic has to show its books to anyone yet, so anyone trying to gauge which company is actually winning the enterprise AI market has to get creative. Ramp, the corporate card and expense platform, tracks how more than 70,000 US businesses spend on software, including AI subscriptions, and its numbers offer one of the few real-time windows into the space. That data now shows a fight that's tighter than the public narrative suggests.
OpenAI spent most of the last few years as the default choice for companies buying AI tools, riding ChatGPT's head start into corporate accounts everywhere. But Ramp's tracking shows that lead evaporated back in May, when Anthropic edged ahead for the first time. Since then, the gap has only widened, at least on paper.
Ramp's customer base leans toward tech and startups, given its popularity as a Silicon Valley card provider, so it's not a perfect proxy for the entire economy. Still, the shift is notable enough that Ramp's own economist has flagged a new wrinkle in the most recent quarter's numbers.
Why this matters
Ramp's numbers are a proxy, not a balance sheet, but they're one of the few real-time signals we have while both companies stay private ahead of their IPOs. The skew toward Silicon Valley-heavy, credit-card-paying startups means this data probably overstates OpenAI's momentum relative to, say, a Fortune 500 procurement office. Still, a four-point swing among 70,000 US businesses is worth watching if you're a founder deciding which API to build on, or a developer choosing a default model for a new product.
Anthropic's lead has been the story all year; OpenAI closing the gap suggests enterprise buyers aren't locked in the way vendor lock-in narratives often assume. For researchers tracking adoption curves, this is a reminder that model quality and market share don't move in lockstep, pricing, tooling, and account reps matter just as much. Expect both companies to point to numbers like these selectively once S-1 season arrives.
Until then, treat Ramp's snapshot as a useful weather vane, not a verdict.
Common Questions Answered
What data source does Ramp use to track enterprise AI spending between OpenAI and Anthropic?
Ramp, a corporate card and expense management platform, tracks spending data from more than 70,000 US businesses to monitor their software and AI subscription purchases. This provides one of the few real-time windows into the enterprise AI market since neither OpenAI nor Anthropic publicly disclose their financial information.
What is the current business spend split between Anthropic and OpenAI according to Ramp's data?
According to Ramp's latest data, Anthropic leads with 44% of business spend compared to OpenAI's 40% among tracked US businesses. This represents a significant tightening of the market competition, with OpenAI gaining ground on Anthropic in recent periods.
Why is Ramp's spending data considered important for evaluating the enterprise AI market?
Ramp's data serves as a crucial proxy for market dynamics since both OpenAI and Anthropic remain private companies and don't have to disclose their financial information publicly. This real-time spending signal is particularly valuable for founders deciding which API to build on and developers choosing default platforms, as it reflects actual business purchasing behavior.
What limitations should be considered when interpreting Ramp's enterprise AI spending data?
Ramp's data skews toward Silicon Valley-heavy, credit-card-paying startups, which likely overstates OpenAI's momentum compared to traditional enterprise procurement channels like Fortune 500 companies. Therefore, while the four-point swing among 70,000 US businesses is significant, it may not fully represent the broader enterprise AI market landscape.
Further Reading
- OpenAI just lost its enterprise AI crown to Anthropic - Business Insider
- Enterprises prefer Anthropic's AI models over anyone else's, including OpenAI's - TechCrunch
- How much does it cost to be AI-pilled? - Ramp
- Anthropic overtakes OpenAI in business AI spending - AI Weekly
- How did Anthropic do it? - Ramp Economics Lab