OpenAI Merges ChatGPT and Codex under Greg Brockman; The Side Quests Are Over
May 17, 2026 – 4:21 pm
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TL;DR
OpenAI has merged ChatGPT, Codex, and its API under Greg Brockman, ending side projects to focus on a single agentic platform before its IPO.
OpenAI co-founder and president Greg Brockman has permanently taken over the company’s product strategy, consolidating ChatGPT and Codex into one unified agentic experience. This restructuring follows an interim arrangement that began in April when Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of AGI deployment, went on medical leave.
Key Changes
- Thibault Sottiaux leads core product and platform across consumer, enterprise, and developer surfaces.
- Nick Turley focuses on enterprise products and critical industries.
- Brockman retains responsibility for AI infrastructure, including the Stargate data centre programme.
OpenAI expects Simo to return after her medical leave, though a timeline has not been disclosed.
Background: Strategic Retreat
This consolidation marks the culmination of OpenAI’s strategic retreat that began in December when Sam Altman declared a “code red” and called for refocusing on the core ChatGPT experience. Since then, OpenAI has:
- Shuttered Sora, its video generation app.
- Paused its adult mode for ChatGPT.
- Halted OpenAI for Science.
- Departed key personnel including Kevin Weil and Bill Peebles.
These paused initiatives have been referred to internally as “side quests.”
Competitive Landscape
The move comes against the backdrop of rapid growth in the agentic coding category. Cursor has reached $2 billion in annualized revenue and is seeking a $50 billion valuation, demonstrating its competitive strength. Anthropic’s Claude Code is also making significant strides with enterprise developers.
To summarize, OpenAI’s merger of ChatGPT and Codex under Brockman signals a strategic shift towards focusing on a single, powerful agentic platform to compete effectively in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.