OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT and a leader in generative AI, has made its first-ever investment in a cybersecurity startup.
On April 3, 2025, New York-based Adaptive Security announced it raised $43 million in a Series A funding round, co-led by OpenAI’s startup fund and Andreessen Horowitz.
This move shows OpenAI’s focus on tackling the growing dangers of AI-driven cyberattacks, which are becoming a big problem for companies worldwide.
Generative AI, the kind of tech OpenAI builds, lets hackers create fake voices, emails, and even receipts to trick people.
Adaptive Security cleverly uses AI: it pretends to be the bad guys. The startup simulates hacks like a fake phone call from your boss asking for a secret code to teach employees how to spot these tricks. It’s like a practice drill for staying safe online.
What Does Adaptive Security Do?
Adaptive Security’s platform doesn’t just stop at phone calls. It also sends fake texts and emails to test workers. The system then figures out which parts of a company might fall for these scams and helps train staff to avoid them.
This is super important because many cyberattacks trick people into doing something risky, like clicking a bad link or sharing private info.
These tricks, called “social engineering,” might sound simple, but they’ve caused huge losses.
For example, in 2022, a gaming company called Axie Infinity lost over $600 million because a worker fell for a fake job offer. With AI making these scams easier and sneakier, Adaptive Security’s work is needed more than ever.
Who’s Behind Adaptive Security?
The startup’s co-founder and CEO, Brian Long, isn’t new to building successful companies. He started Adaptive Security in 2023, and it already has over 100 customers.
Long told that happy customers helped convince OpenAI to invest. Before this, he created TapCommerce, a mobile ad company he sold to Twitter in 2014 for a reported $100 million. He also built Attentive, an ad-tech firm valued at over $10 billion in 2021.
Long knows the tech world well, and he’s using that experience to fight AI-powered threats. He said the $43 million will mostly go toward hiring more engineers.
These workers will improve Adaptive Security’s tools and keep up with hackers in what he calls an “AI arms race.”
Why OpenAI Cares About Cybersecurity
OpenAI’s investment isn’t just about money; it’s personal. The company knows its own AI tech can be used by hackers. By teaming up with Adaptive Security, OpenAI is helping build defenses against the very tools it creates. This is a big step as AI threats get smarter and harder to stop.
Other news sources, like SiliconANGLE, report that Adaptive Security’s platform also lets employees report real suspicious messages.
When someone flags a weird email, the AI checks it fast, scores how dangerous it is, and helps the company’s security team act quickly. This mix of training and real-time help makes Adaptive stand out.
AI Threats Are Everywhere
Adaptive Security isn’t alone in this fight. The rise of AI has sparked a boom in cybersecurity startups. Forbes recently wrote about Cyberhaven, which raised $100 million to stop workers from accidentally leaking secrets to tools like ChatGPT.
Another company, Snyk, says AI-generated code with security flaws has boosted its business to over $300 million in yearly revenue. And just last month, GetReal, a deepfake detection startup, grabbed $17.5 million.
These companies show how big the problem is. Hackers are using AI to clone voices, fake videos, and trick people in ways that were impossible a few years ago.
Long has a simple tip for staying safe: “Delete your voicemail.” Why? Hackers can use old recordings to copy your voice and fool your coworkers.
