OpenAI has appointed Ismail Elmas as vice president of sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Based in Munich, he will oversee all sales employees in the region after joining from Cursor, the AI coding automation startup acquired by SpaceX for $60 billion in August 2026. He brings over two decades of enterprise software and cybersecurity expertise from leadership roles at Rubrik and Zscaler. This appointment marks the second SpaceX-linked hire in roughly a month, suggesting OpenAI is tapping the post-acquisition shuffle at Musk-affiliated companies as a talent pool. OpenAI aims to significantly grow its European sales team while navigating regulatory concerns and data residency requirements from enterprise customers in the region, with a targeted IPO in 2027.
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