in-depth: Greg Brockman Officially Takes Control of OpenAI’s Products

OpenAI, the leading artificial intelligence research and deployment company, has officially named cofounder and President Greg Brockman as its head of product strategy. This significant executive reorganization, announced to staff on Friday, May 15, 2026, aims to consolidate the company's diverse AI offerings, specifically merging its popular chatbot ChatGPT with its coding agent Codex into a single, cohesive product experience.

Brockman will now oversee all product development in addition to his existing responsibilities for AI infrastructure. This move solidifies a role he had previously taken on an interim basis following CEO of AGI deployment Fidji Simo's medical leave. According to an internal memo seen by WIRED, Brockman emphasized the natural convergence of OpenAI's products and the strategic decision to unify them to "execute with maximum focus toward the agentic future, to win across both consumer and enterprise."

The reorganization sees ChatGPT, the AI coding agent Codex, and the developer-facing API being integrated into one core product team. OpenAI indicates that Codex is increasingly becoming a foundational technology, powering its consumer and enterprise solutions, and is enhancing the ability of these platforms to perform digital tasks autonomously on behalf of users.

Further leadership changes accompany Brockman's expanded role. Thibault Sottiaux, previously the head of Codex, a product recognized for its rapid growth, has been appointed to lead the company's core product and platform teams. Sottiaux is also playing a pivotal role in the development of OpenAI's forthcoming "super app," an ambitious project designed to integrate Codex, ChatGPT, and the Atlas web browser into a unified desktop application.

Nick Turley, who has led ChatGPT since its inception and overseen its expansion to over 900 million weekly active users, is transitioning to a new role. He will now head the company's enterprise products, shifting his focus away from consumer offerings. Taking the helm of the consumer product unit is Ashley Alexander, a former Vice President at Instagram who most recently guided OpenAI's health-related products.

This latest shake-up is part of a series of executive adjustments at OpenAI, as the company strives to refine its strategic focus on key product areas like ChatGPT, Codex, and the impending "super app." Last month saw multiple executive changes, including Simo's medical leave, though OpenAI confirms she remains on leave and worked directly with Brockman on these organizational shifts.

The restructuring comes at a critical time for OpenAI, which has faced mounting competition over the past year. Rivals such as Anthropic have challenged its position in coding domains, while Google continues to intensify pressure in the consumer chatbot market. OpenAI's leadership hopes that streamlining its product offerings will strengthen its market stance and simplify its portfolio in anticipation of a potential Initial Public Offering (IPO) later this year. The company also saw several executives depart last month, including Kevin Weil (head of AI workspace), Bill Peebles (head of Sora), and Srinivas Narayanan (CTO of enterprise applications), underscoring a period of significant internal transformation.

FAQ

Q: What is the primary goal of this reorganization at OpenAI?

A: The main goal is to unify OpenAI's product offerings, particularly ChatGPT and Codex, into a single core experience. This is intended to maximize focus on developing agentic AI capabilities for both consumer and enterprise markets, and to simplify offerings ahead of a potential IPO.

Q: How does Greg Brockman's new role differ from his previous responsibilities?

A: Greg Brockman, previously overseeing AI infrastructure, has officially expanded his mandate to permanently lead all product strategy for OpenAI. He had been covering product strategy on an interim basis during Fidji Simo's medical leave, but this change makes the role official.

Q: What is the "super app" mentioned, and who is leading its development?

A: The "super app" is a forthcoming unified desktop application that aims to combine OpenAI's key products: Codex, ChatGPT, and the Atlas web browser. Thibault Sottiaux, the new head of core product and platform teams, is one of the leaders overseeing its development.