OpenAI closes gap with Anthropic as US business adoption accelerates
New data from corporate credit card provider Ramp suggests OpenAI is regaining momentum among American businesses, narrowing the market share lead held by Anthropic since May.
OpenAI is gaining ground on Anthropic among US business users, according to new data released by corporate credit card and expense management provider Ramp. The figures indicate that OpenAI is currently growing faster than its rival in the third quarter, narrowing the market share gap that Anthropic established in May.
As of July, Anthropic retains the lead with nearly 44 per cent market share, compared with OpenAI’s nearly 40 per cent. This represents a shift from May, when Anthropic first overtook OpenAI to reach 41 per cent share against OpenAI’s 39 per cent. The data covers more than 70,000 American businesses that spend billions of dollars through Ramp’s bill pay and corporate card products.
Ramp economist Ara Kharazian noted that OpenAI’s recent model releases, specifically GPT-5.6 Sol, have driven increased adoption among developers. Kharazian described the new model as increasingly the choice for developers, contrasting it with Anthropic’s Fable 5. He suggested that Fable 5 had disappointed in adoption and real-world application due to its price and data retention requirements imposed by regulators.
However, the data highlights significant volatility in enterprise AI spending. Businesses appear willing to switch between providers as each lab releases new models. This fluidity raises questions about how “sticky” enterprise AI spending truly is, a factor that should give investors in both companies pause. While Anthropic’s Fable tier is built for targeted use cases rather than general chatbot functions, the 30-day data retention warning recently issued to users caused some outrage.
It is important to note that Ramp’s customer base skews toward the tech industry, given its popularity in Silicon Valley. Additionally, the data excludes large enterprises that use spend-management tools from providers like American Express. Ramp also declined to provide actual dollars spent, sharing only percentages. Therefore, while the figures are not a measure of the total market, they provide clear indications of shifting trends.
Despite the competitive tension, the overall market for enterprise AI is expanding. The percentage of Ramp customers paying for AI services has risen steadily, topping 50 per cent in March and reaching nearly 56 per cent by July. This growth suggests that both companies are likely increasing business revenue even as they compete for market share.
