OpenAI to manage Israel operations from abroad
OpenAI is upgrading its activities in the Israeli market through representatives operating from Europe, but has no plans to open an office or hire a dedicated local manager, sources tell Globes. Tricia Troth, formerly of AWS, will expand OpenAI's presence in the EMEA region including Israel, and has recruited Eliran Ben-David to support startups. The company is accelerating business-sector marketing after gaining reputation via ChatGPT.
OpenAI is taking steps to increase its presence in the Israeli market, but will manage operations from abroad rather than opening a local office. Sources close to the company told Globes that reports about hiring a dedicated Israel manager are incorrect. Instead, Tricia Troth, who previously held a similar role at Amazon Web Services (AWS), has been chosen to expand OpenAI's activities in Europe and the Middle East (EMEA), including Israel. Troth is currently engaging with venture capital funds and Israeli tech figures to understand local needs. She also led an online workshop today for OpenAI and Amazon in Israel. Additionally, Troth recruited Eliran Ben-David, an Israeli living in London, to offer startups working with AWS partnerships with OpenAI. Ben-David's role covers the entire EMEA region, not just Israel, and includes promoting OpenAI's Codex development tool, which competes with Anthropic's Claude Code. Many of OpenAI's business development staff in the tech sector previously held similar roles at AWS. The company is accelerating its marketing and sales efforts toward the business sector after gaining most of its reputation through ChatGPT for private users, and after Anthropic deepened its business penetration.