How Top AI Firms Are Leaving Rivals Behind

Access to AI tools is no longer a competitive edge—now it’s about how deeply you use them. New data from OpenAI’s B2B Signals reveals that frontier companies—those at the 95th percentile of AI usage—are pulling away from the pack. These top firms now consume 3.5 times more AI per worker than typical companies, up from just 2x a year ago. And it’s not just about sending more messages; message volume accounts for only 36% of the advantage. The real gap comes from richer, more complex interactions: frontier workers ask AI to execute multi-step tasks, provide detailed context, and generate substantive outputs rather than simple Q&A. Agentic workflows are a key marker, with frontier firms using Codex 16x more per worker. To close the gap, organizations should measure depth, build governance for production use, invest in enablement, and shift from chat-based assistance to delegated work with agents. Why it matters: This signals a fundamental shift where AI sophistication, not adoption, determines market leadership—making depth of use the new competitive battleground.