OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Declares Internal “Code Red” as Google Gemini 3 Gains Momentum

OpenAI’s Emergency Response

In a leaked internal memo, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman declared a “code red” to signal a critical period for the company’s flagship chatbot, ChatGPT. The directive instructs the organization to delay several slated projects, including the integration of advertising, the development of AI agents for health‑related and shopping tasks, and the rollout of a personal‑assistant feature known as Pulse. Altman also asked for temporary team transfers and instituted daily calls for staff tasked with enhancing the chatbot’s performance.

Competitive Pressure from Google

The urgency stems from the recent release of Google’s Gemini 3 model, which has outperformed ChatGPT on multiple industry benchmark tests. Gemini 3 quickly rose to the top of the LMArena leaderboard, a crowdsourced platform where users compare AI outputs and vote for the preferred model. The launch generated a wave of praise across social media, prompting industry leaders to take note.

Historical Parallel

Altman’s memo draws a parallel to an earlier “code red” at Google in December 2022, when the tech giant scrambled to respond to ChatGPT’s rapid rise. At that time, Google CEO Sundar Pichai reassigned teams to accelerate AI prototype development. The current scenario reflects a similar intensity of internal mobilization, but this time the pressure originates from a competitor’s breakthrough.

Industry Reaction

The market’s response to Gemini 3’s performance has been swift. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff publicly announced his switch to Gemini 3 after three years of daily ChatGPT usage, stating, “I’m not going back. The leap is insane.” His endorsement underscores the growing confidence among enterprise leaders in Google’s AI capabilities.

Implications for OpenAI

OpenAI’s decision to prioritize internal improvements over external product expansions suggests a strategic shift toward reinforcing the core quality of ChatGPT. By postponing advertising integration and other ancillary projects, the company aims to close the performance gap highlighted by Gemini 3’s recent successes. The daily coordination calls and team reassignments indicate a concerted effort to accelerate research and development cycles.

Outlook

Both AI giants appear to be entering a new phase of rapid competition, with each side accelerating development to capture market share. OpenAI’s “code red” reflects a heightened focus on performance, while Google’s Gemini 3 continues to attract high‑profile endorsements. The unfolding rivalry is likely to drive further innovations in conversational AI over the coming months.