OpenAI is said to be developing a desktop super app that will combine its web browser, ChatGPT app and the Codex coding app. The project will be overseen by Fidji Simo, OpenAI's CEO of Applications, with assistance from OpenAI President Greg Brockman, CNBC quoted a spokesperson as saying. The upcoming app is aimed at helping the company in streamlining user experience as well as reducing fragmentation.
In a post on X, Simo wrote, "Companies go through phases of exploration and phases of refocus; both are critical. 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."
The major change in strategy marks a significant shift from 2025, when the company came out with a series of stand-alone products. Executives at the company believe that unifying the products under one super app will help it to streamline resources as it looks forward to beating the success of its rival Anthropic, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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Within its super app, OpenAI is aiming to keep focus on creating the so-called “agentic” AI capabilities. This will allow artificial intelligence (AI) systems to work autonomously on users' device to carry out different variety of tasks, such as writing software and analysing data.
In an internal note shared with employees on Thursday, Mar. 19, Simo wrote, "We realised we were spreading our efforts across too many apps and stacks, and that we need to simplify our efforts. That fragmentation has been slowing us down and making it harder to hit the quality bar we want.”
This comes after Simo held an all-hands meeting with team members earlier this month to provide answers to employee questions regarding the company's priorities.
She told them that OpenAI is “orienting aggressively” towards high-productivity use cases. “What really matters for us right now is staying focused and executing extremely well,” CNBC quoted Simo as saying.
OpenAI came into the spotlight with the grand launch of ChatGPT in 2022. Since then, the company has transformed itself into one of the fastest-growing commercial entities around the world. In recent times, the company has introduced a wide range of new products and experiences, which include its Codex app and its browser. The company roped in Simo, the former Instacart CEO, to lead its applications business in May last year.
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