OpenAI is putting ChatGPT, its browser and code generator into one desktop app

OpenAI is developing a “super app” for desktop that unifies ChatGPT, its browser and its Codex app, according to the Wall Street Journal and CNBC. A company spokesperson told the publications that OpenAI Chief of Applications Fidji Simo will lead the application revamp with assistance from OpenAI President Greg Brockman. Simo will also help the marketing team advertise the app when it comes out. OpenAI’s leadership is apparently hoping that combining several products can help it streamline user experience and dedicate its resources to one project.

The company has yet to make an official announcement about the new app, but Simo replied to the Journal piece’s author on X. “Companies go through phases of exploration and phases of refocus; both are critical,” Simo said. “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 Journal saw the internal note Simo sent to employees, wherein she said that the company realized it was spreading its efforts across too many apps and that it needed to simplify its efforts. “That fragmentation has been slowing us down and making it harder to hit the quality bar we want,” she reportedly wrote. In an all-hands meeting, CNBC said she also told employees that the company was “orienting aggressively” towards high-productivity use cases.

It’s not clear yet when the unified app will be available, but OpenAI is reportedly focusing on developing agentic AI capabilities for it. The agents will be able to make decisions and use tools to do tasks on computers, such as writing software or analyzing data, with little human oversight.