OpenAI’s announcement of internal AI tools—including ‘DocuGPT’—triggered sharp stock drops for major software firms like DocuSign, HubSpot and Salesforce, underscoring how the company’s every move now wields disproportionate influence over market sentiment and tech valuations. (Source: Image by RR)

Altman’s Offhand Mentions Create Ripples Through the AI Ecosystem and Wall Street

When OpenAI unveiled several of its internal productivity tools last week—including a contract assistant dubbed DocuGPT—it didn’t seem like a market-moving event. But within hours, software stocks began to slide. DocuSign, whose business centers on managing contracts, saw its shares fall 12%, while HubSpot and Salesforce also dipped. The reason? Investors, as noted in wired.com, interpreted OpenAI’s announcement not as an experiment but as a potential declaration of war against enterprise software companies.

DocuSign CEO Allan Thygesen said he wasn’t overly concerned about OpenAI’s contracting tool, calling it “a fairly obvious demo” that didn’t threaten his company’s competitive position. Yet, the incident underscored how volatile the tech market has become in an era where OpenAI’s moves can swing billions in market value. “This is a market where everything is driven by narratives right now,” said Rishi Jaluria, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets. “The fundamentals are kind of getting overlooked.”

While investors panicked, companies themselves were quick to downplay the threat. Salesforce representatives emphasized that OpenAI isn’t a rival but a partner, pointing out that large language models require careful structure and guardrails—something Salesforce’s enterprise systems already provide. Meanwhile, DocuSign continues to build its own AI-powered contract platform, integrating OpenAI’s models while maintaining a focus on end-to-end contract lifecycle management. Thygesen remains optimistic, insisting that “AI has done nothing but accelerate our innovation.”

Interestingly, OpenAI’s influence can also buoy companies it mentions favorably. Shares of Figma jumped 7% after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman highlighted the design platform at the company’s 2025 DevDay conference, demonstrating how ChatGPT users could directly invoke Figma through natural language. Analysts noted that such swings reveal how the AI giant’s mere endorsements—or perceived competition—can dictate software valuations. Still, as RBC’s Jaluria observed, these shocks tend to fade as “a few solid quarters of results” reestablish investor confidence and separate hype from real disruption.

read more at wired.com