OpenAI CEO declares “code red” as Gemini gains 200 million users in 3 months

In a significant shift within the AI landscape, OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, has reportedly initiated a 'code red' response to enhance ChatGPT, as revealed in a leaked internal memo. This urgent call to action comes on the heels of Google's Gemini 3 model, which has rapidly amassed 200 million users in just three months, outperforming ChatGPT in several industry benchmarks and drawing notable acclaim on social media platforms. In the memo, Altman emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, 'We are at a critical time for ChatGPT.' As a result, OpenAI is postponing its advertising initiatives and various product developments, including AI agents for healthcare and shopping, as well as a personal assistant feature known as Pulse. To bolster efforts in refining the chatbot, Altman has encouraged team reassignment and established daily meetings for those focused on its improvement. This announcement creates a striking parallel to December 2022, when Google faced its own 'code red' following the meteoric rise of ChatGPT. At that time, Google CEO Sundar Pichai mobilized teams across the organization to create AI solutions in response to OpenAI's breakthrough technology. Fast forward to the present, the AI sector has evolved dramatically. Google's Gemini 3, launched in mid-November, quickly ascended to the top of the LMA arena leaderboard, a platform that allows users to compare different AI models based on output quality. The model's introduction has garnered both cautious praise and exuberant endorsements. Notably, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff announced on social media that he was transitioning from ChatGPT to Gemini 3 after three years of daily use, declaring, 'I'm not going back. The leap is insane.'