diff --git a/litellm/llms/openai/workload_identity.py b/litellm/llms/openai/workload_identity.py
index 8a914039bd0..e9ac26e26a2 100644
--- a/litellm/llms/openai/workload_identity.py
+++ b/litellm/llms/openai/workload_identity.py
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ def resolve_openai_workload_identity_config(
     api_key: str | None,
     api_base: str | None,
 ) -> OpenAIWorkloadIdentityConfig | None:
-    if api_key is not None or get_secret_str("OPENAI_API_KEY") is not None:
+    if api_key or get_secret_str("OPENAI_API_KEY"):
         return None
     effective_api_base: Final = (
         api_base or litellm.api_base or get_secret_str("OPENAI_BASE_URL") or get_secret_str("OPENAI_API_BASE")
diff --git a/tests/test_litellm/llms/openai/test_openai_workload_identity.py b/tests/test_litellm/llms/openai/test_openai_workload_identity.py
index 852e499dc54..228d591b47a 100644
--- a/tests/test_litellm/llms/openai/test_openai_workload_identity.py
+++ b/tests/test_litellm/llms/openai/test_openai_workload_identity.py
@@ -63,6 +63,15 @@ class TestResolveConfig:
         monkeypatch.setenv("OPENAI_API_KEY", "sk-from-env")
         assert resolve_openai_workload_identity_config(api_key=None, api_base=None) is None
 
+    def test_empty_env_openai_api_key_counts_as_unset(
+        self, wif_env: OpenAIWorkloadIdentityConfig, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
+    ) -> None:
+        monkeypatch.setenv("OPENAI_API_KEY", "")
+        assert resolve_openai_workload_identity_config(api_key=None, api_base=None) == wif_env
+
+    def test_empty_api_key_param_counts_as_unset(self, wif_env: OpenAIWorkloadIdentityConfig) -> None:
+        assert resolve_openai_workload_identity_config(api_key="", api_base=None) == wif_env
+
     def test_foreign_api_base_disables(self, wif_env: OpenAIWorkloadIdentityConfig) -> None:
         assert resolve_openai_workload_identity_config(api_key=None, api_base="https://my-vllm.internal/v1") is None