OpenAI acquires presentation startup NextSlide
Presentation startup NextSlide has joined OpenAI, with its team now working on ChatGPT. The news surfaced through a note on the NextSlide website from founder Ahmed Beshry, who described the startup's product as one that could turn prompts, notes, documents, or research into a polished, editable presentation. Beshry said the goal behind NextSlide was to make visual communication more accessible and help more people express their ideas clearly, and that by joining OpenAI the team will continue pursuing that same mission: building AI products that help people create, communicate, and turn their ideas into meaningful work. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. In a note on LinkedIn, Beshry said the announcement is coming a few months late, since the acquisition actually took place earlier this year. Beshry was previously a co-founder at Caper AI, a smart cart and cashier-less checkout startup that Instacart acquired in 2021.
Key facts
- NextSlide, a startup that generated editable presentations from prompts, notes, documents, or research, has joined OpenAI.
- The NextSlide team is now working on ChatGPT, according to a note from founder Ahmed Beshry on the company's website.
- Beshry says the deal actually closed earlier this year and this announcement is coming a few months late.
- OpenAI has not disclosed the financial terms of the acquisition.
- Beshry previously co-founded Caper AI, a cashier-less checkout startup Instacart acquired in 2021.
Why it matters
The deal folds a small team focused on turning text into polished slide decks directly into ChatGPT, pointing at visual, document-style output as an area OpenAI wants in house rather than left to third-party tools. It follows a pattern of OpenAI acqui-hiring narrow AI product teams and absorbing them into ChatGPT rather than integrating with them as partners.
Who it affects
NextSlide's own users and whatever product existed under that name face an uncertain future now that the team has moved to OpenAI. ChatGPT users are the eventual beneficiaries if presentation generation shows up as a feature. Competing presentation-AI tools now face a well-funded team of former rivals working inside a much larger platform.
How to use it
There is nothing to use yet. The announcement covers the NextSlide team joining OpenAI, not a shipped ChatGPT feature, a release date, or pricing.
How solid is it
The account rests on a note Beshry posted on the NextSlide website and a LinkedIn post, not on any statement from OpenAI. Beshry himself flags the announcement as delayed, saying the acquisition closed earlier this year rather than at the time of disclosure, and no exact closing date is given.
Risks and caveats
The financial terms were not disclosed, so the size or nature of the deal is unknown. The source gives no detail on how many NextSlide team members moved to OpenAI or what roles they now hold there, and no OpenAI statement confirms any of it independently.
“continue pursuing that same mission: building AI products that help people create, communicate, and turn their ideas into meaningful work.”
— Ahmed Beshry, NextSlide founder