OpenAI has moved to prioritize ChatGPT security and core performance as competition from major tech rivals intensifies across the generative AI market.
Altman declares internal code red at OpenAI
On 2 December 2025, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told employees he was declaring a “code red” to concentrate resources on improving ChatGPT. The internal directive, first reported by The Information, responds to rising pressure from competitors such as Google and other artificial intelligence providers.
According to the memo, Altman wants teams to focus on model quality, user experience and reliability metrics. Moreover, the company aims to address issues that have led some users and enterprises to experiment with rival large language models.
Ads plans paused as OpenAI reshuffles priorities
As part of the “code red” plan, OpenAI has decided to delay the launch of advertising products inside ChatGPT. This ads delay decision will free engineering and research capacity to work on core improvements instead of monetization features.
However, the shift does not mean OpenAI is abandoning its ads strategy. Rather, the company is postponing experiments so it can respond faster to competitive threats and user expectations around responsiveness, accuracy and AI platform security.
Competitive and safety pressures on ChatGPT
The move comes as Google and other firms release models that match or exceed ChatGPT on some benchmarks. That said, OpenAI still holds a powerful brand advantage, but Altman signaled that leadership will not take this position for granted.
Industry analysts note that an OpenAI code red moment typically indicates both competitive urgency and internal recognition of product gaps. Moreover, the memo highlights concerns about hallucinations, inconsistent behavior and other chatgpt reliability concerns that can frustrate heavy users.
Security, moderation and trust as central themes
Beyond product quality, Altman emphasized moderation systems and user trust. OpenAI faces ongoing ai moderation challenges, including how to prevent harmful outputs while maintaining useful, unfiltered answers for professionals and developers.
In this context, the company is expected to sharpen its broader ChatGPT security posture, including abuse detection, content policy enforcement and improved defenses against coordinated misuse. However, OpenAI has not disclosed specific technical changes or timelines.
Implications for enterprise and developers
The “code red” strategy also carries implications for businesses that rely on OpenAI APIs. Many corporate clients monitor ChatGPT information security, uptime and predictability before deploying AI tools at scale across sensitive workflows.
Moreover, developers building on OpenAI infrastructure will be watching closely for updates that could reduce errors, stabilize output formats and strengthen guardrails. These improvements could make it easier to integrate ChatGPT into regulated sectors, even as advertisers wait for the postponed monetization features.
In summary, OpenAI’s decision to pause ads and reallocate resources under a “code red” directive underlines how intensely management is now focused on product reliability, safety and security. The outcome of this strategic reset will shape how users, enterprises and competitors view ChatGPT over the coming months.