OpenAI Expands to Israel With Commercial Hiring, as Market Ranks Top Global User of Claude

According to Calcalist, OpenAI is preparing to establish a commercial presence in Israel, starting with business development rather than engineering operations. A senior executive who previously led Amazon Web Services for Startups in Israel recently joined OpenAI in a Europe, Middle East, and Africa role. OpenAI is actively hiring for an Account Director position focused on Israel, signaling early-stage commercial expansion in the country.

The move reflects Israel's emerging status as a major enterprise AI market. According to a 2026 study citing Anthropic's AI Usage Index, Israel ranked first globally in Claude usage relative to its working-age population share, with a score of 4.9x.