Codex: Altman Drops Launch Bombshell
Unlock secure coding superpowers: OpenAI's new Codex drops next week with elite cybersecurity.
Jan 24, 2026 (Updated Feb 16, 2026) - Written by Lorenzo Pellegrini
This image is part of OpenAI's official brand assets, available from their press kit
Lorenzo Pellegrini
Jan 24, 2026 (Updated Feb 16, 2026)
OpenAI to Launch New Codex Products Next Week, Altman Announces
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has announced that the company plans to launch new Codex products next week, building on recent advancements in AI-powered coding agents with a strong emphasis on cybersecurity. This move signals OpenAI's push to expand Codex beyond current integrations into standalone professional tools for developers worldwide.
What Are the Upcoming Codex Launches?
Sam Altman revealed details about forthcoming Codex products during a recent update, highlighting their focus on cybersecurity capabilities. These launches follow hot on the heels of GPT-5.2-Codex, OpenAI's most advanced agentic coding model designed for professional software engineering and defensive cybersecurity tasks. The new products aim to deliver enhanced performance in complex coding scenarios, including large-scale refactors, migrations, and secure code generation.
- Improved long-horizon planning through context compaction for sustained work sessions.
- Stronger handling of large codebases and Windows environments.
- Advanced vision capabilities for interpreting screenshots, diagrams, and UI designs to build functional prototypes rapidly.
Recent Codex Advancements Powering the Future
OpenAI recently released GPT-5.2-Codex, optimizing it for agentic coding with significant jumps in cybersecurity evaluations. This model excels at iterative tasks, catching critical bugs during code reviews, and supporting autonomous operations like network access and command execution. Developers can now balance reasoning depth, speed, and cost by switching models within the same interface.
In a major integration announced on January 22, OpenAI brought Codex natively into JetBrains IDEs such as IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm, and Rider. This allows seamless collaboration within the editor for planning, writing, testing, reviewing, and deploying code, accessible via JetBrains AI subscriptions, ChatGPT accounts, or OpenAI API keys. A limited-time free promotion makes it available to trial users until credits run out.
Codex's Growing Role in Development Workflows
Codex has evolved from a code generator into a full-fledged coding agent. It unifies experiences across terminals, IDEs, web interfaces, GitHub, and mobile apps, connected by ChatGPT accounts. Key features include flexible authentication options and interaction modes that let users control autonomy levels, from simple queries to full agentic execution.
For cybersecurity professionals, GPT-5.2-Codex marks a sharp capability leap, enabling vetted users to access permissive models through invite-only pilots. This phased deployment prioritizes safety while expanding access for API users in the coming weeks.
Conclusion
With Sam Altman's announcement of new Codex products launching next week, OpenAI is set to redefine software development and cybersecurity tools. These innovations promise greater efficiency and security, empowering developers to tackle ambitious projects with AI as a trusted partner. Stay tuned as these tools roll out to transform coding practices globally.
The blog's hype around imminent standalone Codex launches overlooks OpenAI's actual early February rollout of the Codex app and GPT-5.3-Codex, suggesting Altman's tease was retroactive marketing to recapture momentum from Anthropic's preemptive strikes in the agentic coding arms race.