OpenAI has hired Ismail Elmas as vice president of sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, based in Munich, Germany, as the artificial intelligence company looks to expand its global staffing.

Before joining OpenAI, Elmas worked at coding automation startup Cursor, which Elon Musk's SpaceX acquired in August for $60 billion, Bloomberg reported. He also held previous positions at Rubrik and Zscaler Inc.

Musk, an early co-founder of OpenAI, has sued the company over its shift toward a for-profit structure, alleging the move abandoned its original public-interest mission. Musk later launched xAI, which merged with SpaceX.

The developer behind ChatGPT is looking to expand its commercial footprint in Europe, as officials grow increasingly wary of dependence on American tech.

The company is also looking to deepen its enterprise revenue and develop additional income streams as it lays the groundwork for its potential 2027 public debut.

OpenAI has established a strong presence in the Middle East. The company is planning a major data center project in the United Arab Emirates that was planned before the U.S. war with Iran.

In Africa, the company is contending with growing competition from AI rivals such as DeepSeek, which is expanding its footprint across the continent.

Last month, the ChatGPT maker hired another Cursor employee, Brian McCarthy, as its vice president of worldwide sales.

McCarthy previously spent 10 months at Cursor as its president, global revenue and WW field operations, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before, he worked in the same role at Rubrik.

The hire comes amid concerns about the artificial intelligence sector's growth as new figures put OpenAI's annualized revenue roughly $20 billion below previous reports. The company told investors its annualized revenue was approaching $50 billion at the end of September, rather than the $70 billion previously reported.

OpenAI ruled out an initial public offering for 2026, pointing to unresolved safety concerns around rapidly advancing artificial intelligence and the need to address alignment challenges facing the industry.