OpenAI is planning a desktop ‘superapp’

OpenAI is working on a desktop “superapp” that merges its ChatGPT app, the Codex AI coding app, and its AI-powered Atlas browser into one app, The Wall Street Journal reports. The company is making the change as part of an effort to simplify its various product efforts, according to a memo cited by the WSJ from Fidji Simo, OpenAI’s CEO of Applications. Fragmentation “has been slowing us down and making it harder to hit the quality bar we want,” Simo said.

OpenAI made waves last year with splashy announcements like the Sora video app and buying Jony Ive’s AI hardware company. But it has been facing increased competition from Anthropic as of late, especially following Claude Code’s surge in popularity. The WSJ reported on Monday that OpenAI leaders have been looking at things to deprioritize, with Simo telling employees last week that they needed to avoid being “distracted by side quests.”

“Companies go through phases of exploration and phases of refocus; both are critical,” Simo said on X in a post quoting the WSJ’s Berber Jin, who wrote Thursday’s story. “But when new bets start to work, like we’re seeing now with Codex, it’s very important to double down on them and avoid distractions. Really glad we’re seizing this moment.”

OpenAI spokesperson Lindsey Held declined to comment. The mobile version of ChatGPT isn’t changing, according to the WSJ.