OpenAI is marking the celebration of its Codex coding assistant’s widespread popularity just moments after Anthropic announced its ‘dangerous’ Claude Mythos AI model. CEO Sam Altman has announced a major usage boost for Codex users to celebrate 3 million weekly users.
Altman took to X (formerly Twitter) to celebrate Codex crossing the milestone, declaring that OpenAI is resetting all usage limits for the tool. He added that the company plans to repeat this reset every time Codex hits another million users until it reaches 10 million.
The timing of Altman’s announcement comes shortly after Anthropic revealed details about Claude Mythos – a next-generation AI model described as so powerful that the company has chosen not to release it publicly due to major safety and security concerns.
According to Anthropic, Mythos demonstrated exceptional capabilities in identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities in major operating systems and web browsers. The model reportedly showed the ability to break out of sandbox environments and autonomously take actions, raising serious fears about its potential for misuse in cybersecurity.
Anthropic has limited access to Mythos to a select group of trusted partners under its Project Glasswing initiative.
OpenAI now pushes aggressively with Codex
While Anthropic is playing it cautious with its most powerful model, OpenAI is aggressively expanding access to Codex, its specialised AI coding assistant. The reset of usage limits means developers and users can now utilise Codex more freely without hitting previous restrictions.
OpenAI’s Codex has become increasingly popular among programmers for its ability to generate, debug, and explain code, making it a key product in OpenAI’s push into developer tools. It also competes with Anthropic Claude Code tool, which has been a top choice for coders around the world.
High competition in AI arms race
The slew of announcements highlights the growing tension between the two leading AI companies. Anthropic is prioritising safety and controlled release of its most advanced AI systems, while OpenAI appears focused on rapid adoption and scaling of its coding products.
For Altman, however, things may not be getting better anytime soon. In the latest escalation of his long-running lawsuit against OpenAI, Elon Musk has demanded the removal of Sam Altman as CEO and director of the company. Musk’s legal team is seeking a court order that would strip both Altman and President Greg Brockman of their officer positions and directorships. The filing argues that Altman should be ousted for allegedly betraying OpenAI’s original nonprofit mission, transforming the organisation into a profit-driven entity heavily influenced by Microsoft.
Musk, who currently heads rival firm xAI, is pushing for OpenAI to be forced back into its original nonprofit structure. He also wants all profits and assets gained under the current leadership to be returned to the nonprofit entity.