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OpenAI declares 'code red' as Google catches up in AI race Comments Drawer Comments Loading comments Getting the conversation ready... * News News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow See All News * AI AI Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow See All AI * Tech Tech Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow See All Tech OpenAI declares 'code red' as Google catches up in AI race Google's own 'code red' response to ChatGPT has started paying off. Google's own 'code red' response to ChatGPT has started paying off. by Robert Hart Robert Hart Robert Hart AI Reporter Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow See All by Robert Hart Dec 2, 2025, 11:40 AM UTC * * STK201_SAM_ALTMAN_CVIRGINIA_C STK201_SAM_ALTMAN_CVIRGINIA_C Image: The Verge Robert Hart Robert Hart Robert Hart Robert Hart Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow See All by Robert Hart is a London-based reporter at The Verge covering all things AI and Senior Tarbell Fellow. Previously, he wrote about health, science and tech for Forbes. The tides are turning in the AI race, and the pressure is getting to OpenAI. Chief executive Sam Altman reportedly declared a "code red" on Monday, urging staff to improve its flagship product ChatGPT, an indicator that the startup's once-unassailable lead is eroding as competitors like Google and Anthropic close in. In the memo, reported by the Wall Street Journal and The Information, Altman said the company will be delaying initiatives like ads, shopping and health agents, and a personal assistant, Pulse, to focus on improving ChatGPT. This includes core features like greater speed and reliability, better personalization, and the ability to answer more questions, he said. There will be a daily call for those tasked with improving the chatbot, the memo said, and Altman encouraged temporary team transfers to speed up development. The newfound urgency illustrates an inflection point for OpenAI as it spends hundreds of billions of dollars to fund growth and figures out a path to future profitability. It is also something of a full-circle moment in the AI race. Google, which declared its own "code red" after the arrival of ChatGPT, is a particular concern. Google's AI user base is growing -- helped by the success of popular tools like the Nano Banana image model -- and its latest AI model, Gemini 3, blew past its competitors on many industry benchmarks and popular metrics. Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. * Robert Hart Robert Hart Robert Hart AI Reporter Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow See All by Robert Hart * AI AI Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow See All AI * Google Google Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow See All Google * News News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow See All News * Tech Tech Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. Follow See All Tech Most Popular Most Popular 1. Netflix kills casting from phones 2. OpenAI declares 'code red' as Google catches up in AI race 3. MKBHD is taking down his wallpaper app 4. Samsung's Z TriFold is official and it looks like a tablet with a phone attached 5. These last-minute Cyber Monday deals will likely be gone tomorrow The Verge Daily A free daily digest of the news that matters most. Email (required) [ ] Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. 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