Overview
- OpenAI is reportedly revamping ChatGPT into a "superapp" that will integrate Codex, AI agents, and third-party applications.
- This initiative, known internally as "Aria," aims to encourage users to adopt higher-margin offerings ahead of a planned IPO in Q4 2026.
- Since its desktop app launch in February, Codex has seen a sixfold increase, reaching over 5 million weekly active users, with most opting for the paid version.
OpenAI boasts nearly 1 billion users of ChatGPT, the majority of whom use the service for free. This situation is a challenge the company seeks to address before going public.
According to a report by the Financial Times, which included insights from over a dozen current and former staff members, OpenAI plans to evolve ChatGPT into a superapp that serves as a unified platform for coding, task automation, image creation, and partner applications. This project is dubbed "Aria" internally.
While OpenAI has yet to confirm the codename or a specific launch timeline, updates to both the website and mobile applications are anticipated in the upcoming weeks.
Thibault Sottiaux, who previously led Codex and now oversees OpenAI's core product and platform, shared with the FT that the vision is to create an assistant "capable of assisting you in all aspects of life, whether personal or professional."
A senior OpenAI staff member remarked to the Financial Times, "Chat is dead," which is a surprising statement from a company that has built its reputation on a product named ChatGPT.
Following WeChat's Footsteps
The concept of a superapp is inspired by WeChat, Tencent's all-in-one application that began as a messaging service in 2011 and has evolved to handle 45 billion messages daily for 1.4 billion monthly users. WeChat Pay and Alipay facilitate $40 trillion in transactions each year. Users in China can book medical appointments, pay taxes, and request rides without exiting the app. It has transitioned from a social networking site to a fundamental software infrastructure.
Elon Musk has been pursuing a similar model since acquiring Twitter in 2022, expressing his desire for X to become the Western equivalent of WeChat. In 2025, he introduced XChat for encrypted messaging and X Money for payments, collaborating with Visa for peer-to-peer transfers. X currently has between 500 and 600 million users, but its payment feature has not gained traction. Meta attempted something similar with Messenger bots in 2016 and WhatsApp payments over the years, but those efforts did not succeed either.
OpenAI's approach diverges from building a social network—an endeavor that has largely failed, as seen with Sora. Instead, it focuses on enhancing a platform already utilized for work, aiming to expand its functionality.
The Codex coding tool can generate, debug, and deploy software based on text prompts. The ChatGPT Agent, which launched in July 2025, can autonomously browse the internet, execute applications, and place orders. Workspace agents, introduced in April 2026, facilitate ongoing multi-step workflows within Slack and other enterprise software.
This is the suite of tools OpenAI is integrating into a single interface.
Financial Projections for the IPO
OpenAI's annual revenue has exceeded $20 billion, with business clients contributing 40% of this total. Unlike the majority of ChatGPT users who opt for the free version, most Codex users are paying customers. Jenny Xiao, a partner at Leonis Capital and former OpenAI researcher, commented to the FT that a year ago, OpenAI was "swinging for the fences," while Anthropic focused on profitability. Currently, both companies appear to be aligning their strategies as they prepare for an IPO, with investors prioritizing revenue over aspirations.
Anthropic poses direct competition. Its Claude Code has surpassed $2.5 billion in annual revenue by early 2026, achieving this faster than any prior enterprise software product, with enterprise sales now making up about 80% of its revenue. Moreover, Anthropic has taken the lead in the IPO race, having confidentially submitted its initial public offering documentation to the SEC last week. OpenAI is now in a position of catching up, having filed confidentially for its own IPO today.
Alex Embiricos, OpenAI's enterprise product head, shared his vision with the FT, stating, "When we achieve AGI, I don't foresee many distinct brands remaining. Likely, there will be a singular entity I can interact with that fulfills all my needs." OpenAI is also in the process of acquiring Python toolmaker Astral to integrate developer tools directly into Codex, with the IPO anticipated in Q4 2026.