--- title: OpenAI is merging Codex into ChatGPT and launching a... description: OpenAI is merging the Codex desktop app into the ChatGPT desktop app and launching ChatGPT Work, an agentic productivity tool targeting knowledge workers that... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/openai-is-merging-codex-into-chatgpt-and-launching-a-claude-cowork-competitor-axv7uqq2g twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: OpenAI is merging Codex into ChatGPT and launching a Claude Cowork competitor | daily.dev og:description: OpenAI is merging the Codex desktop app into the ChatGPT desktop app and launching ChatGPT Work, an agentic productivity tool targeting knowledge workers that... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/openai-is-merging-codex-into-chatgpt-and-launching-a-claude-cowork-competitor-axv7uqq2g og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/axv7UqQ2G.png og:image:alt: OpenAI is merging Codex into ChatGPT and launching a Claude Cowork competitor og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # OpenAI is merging Codex into ChatGPT and launching a Claude Cowork competitor **[Collections](https://daily.dev/sources/collections)** · 3 min read · 1 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary OpenAI is merging the Codex desktop app into the ChatGPT desktop app and launching ChatGPT Work, an agentic productivity tool targeting knowledge workers that competes directly with Anthropic's Claude Cowork. Codex retains its developer-focused coding experience within ChatGPT but loses its standalone identity. ChatGPT Work supports documents, spreadsheets, and integrations with Slack, Google Drive, and CRM tools, launching across desktop, web, and mobile simultaneously. OpenAI is also replacing its standalone Atlas browser with a Chrome extension. The piece raises concerns that retiring the Codex brand may signal to developers that coding tooling is being deprioritized as a first-class product. ## Content ## What happened OpenAI merged its standalone Codex app into the ChatGPT desktop app and launched **ChatGPT Work**, an agentic tool for knowledge workers that competes directly with Anthropic's Claude. The combined platform now covers coding (Codex), general chat, and broader agentic workflows under one roof. ChatGPT Work is available on desktop, web, and mobile from day one — included in Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans. That cross-platform availability is a real advantage over Claude's initially desktop-only approach. ## What ChatGPT Work actually does The Work mode handles tasks that go beyond coding: - Creating and hosting websites - Managing email and calendar - Summarizing documents - Building docs, spreadsheets, and slides - Integrating with Slack, Google Drive, Gmail, GitHub, and CRM tools One underrated detail: it runs in the cloud, so it keeps working from your phone with your laptop closed. That's a meaningful shift from the old pattern of leaving a laptop cracked open to keep an agent running. The computer use feature is getting attention too. One demo had Codex download and install Blender from scratch, then build a 3D otter animation — the human only had to click once to approve the Windows install prompt. ## The Chrome extension OpenAI also retired its standalone Atlas browser in favor of a Chrome extension that brings ChatGPT into the Chrome sidebar. A typical workflow demoed by OpenAI's developer account: pull a form submission, build a go-live checklist, pull context from Google Drive and Slack, flag follow-ups, update a portal, and draft a reply — all from the sidebar. ## Early traction ChatGPT Work and Codex hit 10 million active users, reportedly doubling within a week of launch. Swyx, who recorded a podcast with OpenAI's head of Productivity engineering, called it "the most company-defining launch since the original ChatGPT." ## The rollout wasn't clean The first version of the desktop app had real UX problems. Conversation history wasn't visible, and the Chat/Work mode switcher was inconsistent across desktop, web, and mobile. OpenAI pushed a follow-up update that: - Added chat history and projects to the desktop sidebar - Synced Chat and Work history across all platforms (local tasks stay local) - Made the Chat/Work switcher consistent everywhere There are still some rough edges. The effort-level labels are inconsistent across surfaces — "Instant" on web, "Light" in Codex, "Minimal" in Work — and the model tier naming (Pro vs. Max/Ultra) varies too. ## The Codex brand question Retiring the Codex brand is the decision that's generating the most pushback. Codex had built a distinct identity among developers — it felt purpose-built rather than a feature of a general-purpose product. Folding it into ChatGPT risks losing that. OpenAI's response so far is that Codex mode still exists and "is still the OG and best at what it does," but the brand is gone. The naming situation got messy enough that the labels were quietly changed: "ChatGPT Work" became "ChatGPT" and "ChatGPT Codex" became "Codex." Simpler, but it took a beat to get there. ## What's available and where | Feature | Plans | Platforms | |---|---|---| | ChatGPT Work | Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise | Desktop, web, mobile | | Codex mode | Same | Desktop | | Chrome extension | TBD | Chrome | The broader picture is that OpenAI is consolidating its product surface into one app that handles coding, agentic work, and general chat — while Anthropic, Google, and others are doing roughly the same thing. The race to be the default "everything app" for knowledge workers is on. --- Tags: [#openai](https://daily.dev/tags/openai), [#chatgpt](https://daily.dev/tags/chatgpt), [#ai-coding](https://daily.dev/tags/ai-coding), [#anthropic](https://daily.dev/tags/anthropic), [#codex](https://daily.dev/tags/codex) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/openai-is-merging-codex-into-chatgpt-and-launching-a-claude-cowork-competitor-axv7uqq2g) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"OpenAI is merging Codex into ChatGPT and launching a Claude Cowork competitor","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/openai-is-merging-codex-into-chatgpt-and-launching-a-claude-cowork-competitor-axv7uqq2g","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/openai-is-merging-codex-into-chatgpt-and-launching-a-claude-cowork-competitor-axv7uqq2g"},"datePublished":"2026-07-15T00:06:48.107Z","dateModified":"2026-07-22T00:00:00.361Z","description":"OpenAI is merging the Codex desktop app into the ChatGPT desktop app and launching ChatGPT Work, an agentic productivity tool targeting knowledge workers that...","image":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mDajpRHMlRk/sddefault.jpg","thumbnailUrl":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mDajpRHMlRk/sddefault.jpg","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"Collections","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Collections","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--fk_6ycEi--/f_auto,q_auto/v1780996001/logos/collections?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/collections"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/openai-is-merging-codex-into-chatgpt-and-launching-a-claude-cowork-competitor-axv7uqq2g","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":1},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"openai,chatgpt,ai-coding,anthropic,codex","timeRequired":"PT3M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Collections","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/collections"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"OpenAI is merging Codex into ChatGPT and launching a Claude Cowork competitor"}]} ```