ChatGPT turned three on Sunday, but there was little time for celebration at OpenAI. The brand’s CEO, Sam Altman, told employees on Monday he was declaring “code red” so the company can refocus on immediate improvements to its chatbot.
A company-wide memo from Altman, seen by The Wall Street Journal, tells employees OpenAI will focus on tasks to help improve the day-to-day experience of ChatGPT. It comes after Google’s latest Gemini 3 release beat ChatGPT in various benchmarking tests, and competition from other rivals, such as Anthropic, has also proved more of a threat.
Altman told employees it would be slowing down work on other initiatives, such as plans to launch ads within ChatGPT. Other delays are reportedly coming to improvements for tools like AI agents built for health or shopping queries.
OpenAI may also delay upcoming improvements to its Pulse personal assistant tool, which first launched in September giving users a daily morning update within the ChatGPT app.
OpenAI’s Nick Turley, Head of ChatGPT, said on X, “Our focus now is to keep making ChatGPT more capable, continue growing, and expand access around the world — while making it feel even more intuitive and personal.”
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Altman’s note says the brand will now have daily calls within the senior team involving those who are contributing improvements to the platform. He also said employees may need to temporarily move around the business to help on other projects.
OpenAI reportedly called an internal “code orange” back in October as competition increased, but this new “code red” marks a move to its highest urgency level.
Recommended by Our Editors
It may mean we see improvements to the standard ChatGPT experience continue to flow quickly. OpenAI has been fast at adding new features, but this news may mean we see fewer sweeping changes for the foreseeable and more focus on the core functionality.
Soon after the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, Google reportedly called a “code red” within its Search business leading to the brand pushing ahead with its own chatbot. It was originally called Bard before switching to Gemini branding in 2024.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, PCMag’s parent company, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April 2025, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
Get Our Best Stories!
Your Daily Dose of Our Top Tech News
Sign up for our What’s New Now newsletter to receive the latest news, best new products, and expert advice from the editors of PCMag.
Sign up for our What’s New Now newsletter to receive the latest news, best new products, and expert advice from the editors of PCMag.
By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy
Policy.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
About Our Expert
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over a decade after getting my start in tech reporting back in 2013. I joined PCMag in 2025, where I cover the latest developments across the tech sphere, writing about the gadgets and services you use every day. Be sure to send me any tips you think PCMag would be interested in.
Read Full Bio
