The AI rivalry between OpenAI and Anthropic just got another twist. According to reports, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told employees that the company is “back to exceeding 10% monthly growth” and seeing surging adoption of its Codex coding tool.
That internal optimism comes as both firms roll out new models and battle for dominance in AI-powered software development.
Codex Starts Taking Share
Altman reportedly highlighted “insane” growth in Codex, OpenAI’s tool designed to help developers write and understand code. Internal charts shared with staff suggest Codex is gaining market share from Anthropic’s Claude Code product.
That matters because coding assistants are shaping up to be one of the most commercially valuable use cases for generative AI, with direct ties to software productivity and enterprise adoption.
The Model Race Keeps Accelerating
Both OpenAI and Anthropic released upgraded models last week with improved coding performance, showing how quickly the arms race is moving. Altman also reportedly teased another new model coming soon, reinforcing the sense that product cycles in AI are compressing.
At the same time, OpenAI is said to be working on what could become a $100 billion funding round, a scale of capital that would help support its massive computing and research ambitions.
In a market where model quality and developer loyalty can shift fast, signs of renewed growth give OpenAI fresh momentum as competition in AI coding tools heats up.