Plow and replant? OpenAI at a crossroads

Last week there was only one piece of AI news that truly mattered. Gemini 3 challenged the assumption that’s dominated the industry for the last two years: that OpenAI is unbeatable. Shortly after, an alleged internal memo from Sam Altman surfaced online, in which the head of OpenAI admits the company is in for a period of “rough vibes” and short-term pressure. We don’t know if this note is genuine, but it would be better for the creators of ChatGPT if it were. It would mean that OpenAI is taking the issue seriously and has a plan to deal with it.

Sudden (?) change of leader

For a long time, the balance of power seemed stable. For the general public, AI = ChatGPT. OpenAI was setting the pace, while Google and Meta were trying to keep up, and other companies were carving out their niches, hoping to gain an edge in specialized applications. Each new version of GPT reinforced this narrative. It was OpenAI dictating the AI landscape, with the rest of the market following its developmental path.