OpenAI Eyes Startup Acquisition That Could Boost Cybersecurity Business

OpenAI, which is trying to develop a substantial cybersecurity business, is in early talks to buy Trail of Bits, a startup that finds and fixes vulnerabilities in open-source software, according to people familiar with the matter.

The size of the potential deal couldn’t be learned. OpenAI has sometimes paid in the low hundreds of millions of dollars in the form of stock to acquire small startups, though it sometimes pays less. Discussions are ongoing and the deal could fall apart, said the people.