‘The world seems to be ready’: An interview with OpenAI head of product Thibault Sottiaux
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- Thibault Sottiaux leads all of OpenAI's core products — API, agent infrastructure, enterprise, ChatGPT (including ChatGPT Work), and Codex — and reports to Greg Brockman
- ChatGPT Work has reached 20 million users and ships as part of OpenAI's $20/month Plus plan
- Sottiaux described product development as 'discovery,' saying OpenAI pushes model capabilities first then builds around what works, citing GPT 5.6's gains in document processing, slide/report generation, and deep research
- OpenAI announced 80% price cuts via 'Luna,' which Sottiaux called a 'permanent price correction' with more capability per dollar over time
- Sottiaux contrasted ChatGPT Work's autonomous 'magic' approach with Anthropic's Claude Cowork, which he said 'puts A/B tests in front of you and has you make more choices'
- ChatGPT rolled out iMessages integration the day of the interview, and Sottiaux emphasized safety/alignment investment as central to user trust
Why it matters: OpenAI is racing Anthropic in white-collar AI agents, and Sottiaux's 20M-user figure paired with the 80% Luna price cut signals OpenAI is prioritizing adoption over per-token revenue. The explicit 'magic vs. A/B tests' framing against Claude Cowork reveals a philosophical bet that autonomous agents win consumer trust without user-facing guardrails.
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