OpenAI is on a strong trajectory with Codex and is putting real pressure on Anthropic.
Codex is making impressive progress. That is particularly important for OpenAI because Anthropic and OpenAI have different strengths in different market segments. While OpenAI primarily serves the B2C market through ChatGPT and effectively subsidizes 95% of its Free Tier users， Anthropic has built a strong position in the B2B and enterprise space， where it generates substantial revenue. With Codex， OpenAI is now moving directly into that market of professional， high value customers. That is why the rapid growth in its user base is so significant. There are 10 million users paying for Codex， presumably with a considerable number on the Pro tier.
Against this backdrop， the now final decision to keep Fable 5 in the Max tier should be understood. Anthropic increasingly recognizes that OpenAI is on the right path with its strategy， and that poses a real threat to its business.
I would argue that we， the users， are the biggest winners of this development. Not only was Anthropic effectively forced to keep Fable 5 included in the subscription plan， but the competitive pressure is also likely to accelerate the release of Opus 5 and Fable 5.5.
I think that is great， and I am genuinely pleased about it. Competition is the single most important driver of innovation. In that respect， OpenAI is doing us a double service by intensifying the competitive race.