OpenAI chief Sam Altman reportedly ordered a “code red” to accelerate improvements to ChatGPT, delaying advertising plans and other product work following a leaked internal memo reported by The Information.
The move comes as Google rolled out Gemini 3, a model that has reportedly outperformed ChatGPT on several industry benchmarks and sparked a wave of praise and hype on social media. The memo quotes Altman saying, “We are at a critical time for ChatGPT,” and details a plan to pause advertising integration, AI agents for health and shopping, and a Pulse-style personal assistant feature.
In an unusual show of internal mobility, Altman encouraged temporary transfers and instituted daily calls for teams tasked with upgrading the chatbot’s capabilities.
The decision echoes a moment in December 2022 when Google management declared its own “code red” after ChatGPT’s launch, triggering leadership shifts to spur AI prototypes to compete with OpenAI’s offering.
Gemini 3 hit the scene in mid-November and quickly topped the LMArena vibemarking leaderboard, drawing measured praise from some and bold predictions from others. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff even wrote on X that he was switching to Gemini 3 after three years of using ChatGPT daily, saying, “The leap is insane.”
Industry observers note that the AI race remains intensely competitive, with OpenAI relying on fundraising while Google monetizes AI features through its search and ads. As Gemini gains users, expectations rise for what the next generation of large language models will deliver and how both companies will adapt their work, pricing, and partnerships in the months ahead.”
