OpenAI has sealed a $1.1 billion all-stock deal to acquire Statsig, a Seattle-based product experimentation startup, in one of the boldest tech shake-ups of 2025. At the center of this landmark move is Vijaye Raji, the Indian-origin founder of Statsig, who is stepping into a powerful new role as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Applications at OpenAI.
With this appointment, Raji is set to drive the engineering vision behind OpenAI’s most celebrated products: ChatGPT and Codex, while also strengthening the systems, infrastructure, and reliability that keep the company’s AI tools running at scale. In this article, we will cover how Vijaye Raji went from Pondicherry to Silicon Valley, built a unicorn from scratch, and is now building the future of AI applications at OpenAI.
Vijaye Raji – Biography
| Full Name | Vijaye Raji |
|---|---|
| Birthplace | Puducherry, India |
| Education | Bachelor of Engineering from Pondicherry University |
| Profession | Engineer & Entrepreneur |
| Notable Roles | Founder & CEO of Statsig, Former VP and Head of Entertainment at Meta, Former Principal Software Design Engineer at Microsoft |
| Known For | Building Statsig into a unicorn and steering its $1.1 billion acquisition by OpenAI |
Vijaye Raji – Early Life and Education
Vijaye Raji – Career Beginnings
Vijaye Raji Joins OpenAI as CTO of Applications
Vijaye Raji – Statement On Joining the OpenAI Journey
Vijaye Raji’s Contribution to OpenAI’s Next Chapter
Vijaye Raji – Early Life and Education
Vijaye Raji was born and raised in Puducherry, India, where his fascination with technology began at a young age. He went on to pursue a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science from Pondicherry University, graduating in 1999. His strong academic foundation and problem-solving mindset set the stage for a career that would eventually span the biggest names in tech.
Soon after graduation, Raji moved to the United States to join Microsoft in Washington. He spent nearly 10 years at the tech giant, contributing to some of its most widely used tools. His work spanned across products like the Windows Application Framework, SQL Server Modeling Language/Runtime, and the Visual Studio Editor, technologies that continue to shape software development workflows today.
As highlighted in the Statsig blog, this period was crucial in shaping his approach to building scalable systems and reliable developer tools, lessons that he would carry into his entrepreneurial journey years later.
Vijaye Raji – Career Beginnings
In 2011, Raji made the leap to Facebook (now Meta), marking the next big phase of his career. Over the course of a decade, he climbed the corporate ladder steadily, taking on diverse leadership roles. Starting as a Software Engineer, he eventually became Vice President, leading divisions such as Gaming, Entertainment, and Facebook Seattle.
His journey at Meta saw him wear multiple hats: Head of Gaming, Head of Facebook Seattle, and finally, VP and Head of Entertainment. In these roles, Raji was instrumental in scaling consumer-facing products like Messenger for Windows, Marketplace, and Groups Commerce, while also shaping Facebook’s push into gaming and content ecosystems.
Sarika Anand
Vijaye Raji Joins OpenAI as CTO of Applications
After decades of experience at Microsoft and Facebook (Meta), Vijaye Raji is now stepping into a new chapter as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Applications at OpenAI, following the acquisition of Statsig. In this role, Raji will report directly to Fidji Simo, CEO of OpenAI’s Applications division. OpenAI described Raji as a “hands-on builder and trusted leader”, noting that he will head product engineering for ChatGPT and Codex, overseeing core systems, infrastructure, and product integrity.
The company added: “His experience as founder and CEO of Statsig, and a decade leading large-scale consumer engineering at Meta, brings both entrepreneurial vision and operating expertise to scale our next generation of products.”
Raji’s appointment represents a blend of startup agility and enterprise-level engineering expertise, positioning him to drive innovation while ensuring the reliability and scalability of OpenAI’s flagship tools.
Vijaye Raji – Statement On Joining the OpenAI Journey
“Joining OpenAI as CTO of Applications is an extraordinary opportunity to bring my experience scaling consumer and enterprise products to a mission I deeply believe in: advancing AI in ways that are capable of solving hard problems, reliable, and truly beneficial to people everywhere. The journey with Statsig has been deeply gratifying, leading me to this moment and giving me conviction that we will continue helping teams ship better software every day.”
Vijaye Raji’s Contribution to OpenAI’s Next Chapter
As the founder of Statsig, Raji had built a culture of rapid experimentation, data-driven decision-making, and scalable infrastructure. Now, those same principles are set to become the backbone of OpenAI’s applications strategy.
In a blog post, the company made it clear that Statsig will continue to operate independently out of Seattle, ensuring continuity for its customers. But with Raji stepping in as CTO of Applications, the real value lies in how his engineering mindset will shape the growth of products like ChatGPT and Codex. His expertise in scaling consumer platforms, from his days at Meta to building Statsig into a unicorn, positions him perfectly to strengthen OpenAI’s push into mainstream adoption. Raji’s arrival also complements OpenAI’s broader leadership reshuffle. While Fidji Simo now oversees the entire Applications division as CEO, and Srinivas Narayanan takes charge of B2B products, it is Raji who will design and oversee the engineering foundation that powers OpenAI’s flagship tools. His focus on reliability, experimentation, and continuous optimization ensures that OpenAI isn’t just launching flashy features but building long-term, scalable systems.
The acquisition highlights how critical Raji’s contributions will be. By layering his experimentation-first approach into OpenAI’s consumer ecosystem, the company gains more than technology; it gains a builder who knows how to turn products into platforms. With Raji at the helm of engineering, OpenAI is signaling its intent to not only lead in AI research but also dominate the ecosystem of applications built on top of it.
Meanwhile, Kevin Weil, OpenAI’s former Chief Product Officer, is moving back into the research domain as Vice President of AI for Science, where he will lead a new research-focused team alongside Chief Research Officer Mark Chen. With Weil’s transition, his former product organisation, including Nick Turley, who heads ChatGPT, will now report to Simo.
These changes underline OpenAI’s strategy of treating applications as a standalone pillar, with dedicated leadership for both consumer and enterprise markets. Within this restructured team, Raji’s role as CTO of Applications ensures that the engineering backbone is strong, enabling the company to scale its AI products reliably while continuing to innovate.
OpenAI to Retain Statsig Employees
As part of the $1.1 billion acquisition, all Statsig employees will transition to OpenAI, while the platform will continue operating independently out of its Seattle office, ensuring uninterrupted service for existing customers. Reflecting on the deal, Vijaye Raji said, “Over the past 4.5 years, we’ve built something special at Statsig: a platform that the world’s best technology companies rely on to build fast and make smart decisions.”
On X, Raji added that joining OpenAI presents an opportunity to expand Statsig’s mission, while maintaining continuity for current clients. He described the move as: “An extraordinary opportunity to bring my experience scaling consumer and enterprise products to a mission I deeply believe in.”
With Raji now at the helm as CTO of Applications, the integration promises not only to bring Statsig’s technology into OpenAI but also to infuse his vision and engineering expertise into the company’s flagship products like ChatGPT and Codex.
Nitin Konde
FAQs
Who is Vijaye Raji?
Vijaye Raji is an Indian-origin engineer and entrepreneur from Puducherry, India. He is the founder and former CEO of Statsig and has previously held senior roles at Microsoft and Meta. In 2025, he was appointed as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Applications at OpenAI.
How much did OpenAI pay to acquire Statsig?
OpenAI sealed a $1.1 billion all-stock deal to acquire Statsig in 2025, making it one of the year’s most significant tech acquisitions.
What is Vijaye Raji’s educational background?
Vijaye Raji earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science from Pondicherry University.
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