OpenAI Group PBC plans to merge ChatGPT and two of its other services into a single “superapp.” The Wall Street Journal broke the news on Thursday. Today, MIT Technology Review reported that OpenAI is also working on an artificial intelligence tool designed to make researchers more productive.

Microsoft Corp MSFT partner OpenAI is merging ChatGPT, its Codex coding platform, and the Atlas browser into a single desktop “superapp,”. The move comes as executives internally describe the company as operating under a “code red.

OpenAI has acquired Astral, a startup whose essential Python development tools are used by millions. This strategic move aims to bolster OpenAI's Codex group, which faces competition from Anthropic's Claude Code.

Anthropic, a smaller rival started by OpenAI defectors, has found runaway success with its programming agent, Claude Code. The product accounts for nearly a fifth of its business—more than $2.5 billion in annualized revenue,

The desktop superapp will be designed to enable more agentic AI features, where systems can autonomously perform complex tasks directly on users' computers.

OpenAI acquires Astral, the Python toolmaker, to enhance Codex AI coding assistant as it competes with Anthropic's Claude Code and Cursor.

Independent researcher Simon Willison raises questions about hidden Series A and B rounds, investor windfalls, and whether a key piece of Python infrastructure just became a competitive weapon in the AI coding wars.

OpenAI said on Thursday it will acquire Astral, as the ChatGPT maker doubles down on artificial intelligence-powered coding tools to compete more aggressively with rivals such as

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