OpenAI in Early Talks to Acquire Security Firm Trail of Bits

The signal here is less about the target's size than about what OpenAI wants to own: independent security auditing capacity, at a moment when AI systems are drawing scrutiny for code and model vulnerabilities. An acquisition of an established audit firm would fold outside scrutiny into an AI lab's own structure, which cuts both ways for the security community that relies on independent reviews. Whether the talks progress and how a deal would preserve Trail of Bits' research independence are the open questions.