OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said using Codex made him feel “a little useless,”

OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman openly acknowledged feeling “a little useless” after using his company’s AI coding tool, Codex. The admission came just days after OpenAI rolled out Codex as a standalone app for macOS computers.

In his post, Altman confessed the tool was better at generating features than he could, making him nostalgic for the present while boasting AI’s transformative potential for the future. His candid assessment invited equal parts empathy and harsh criticism from tech experts and beyond. 

Altman said that even as CEO of one of the world’s richest AI companies, he sometimes felt intimidated by the technology he helped create. He acknowledged that better, more interesting ways to spend time would be found, but at that moment, he felt nostalgic.

Many people said they could relate, having experienced similar feelings in the age of AI-driven productivity. Observers noted that Altman’s admission offered a rare glimpse of vulnerability from someone usually linked with AI hype and the vision of the “singularity.”

Tech community pushes back on Altman’s AI comments

One user said Altman would have a $100 billion parachute exit, but most regular workers wouldn’t get that kind of luck. With 50-60% of white-collar jobs potentially disappearing because of AI, many people would feel much more useless and sad, without any safety net to fall back on.

An OpenSea engineer noted that Altman could “cry into a giant pile of money,” but not for “ordinary workers.” Instead, they would have to rely on chatbots for the remainder of their careers, highlighting the divide between tech executives and average workers facing AI transformations.

Food writer Chrisy Toombs, for example, said she found herself incensed about the wider ramifications of AI. She said she had seen her career vanish as AI’s ability to create “vacuous copies” of her work expanded. And that also had consequences: AI models were trained on the work of people without their consent, and, ever since, many creators have felt powerless.

Altman’s post also coincided with OpenAI’s announcement to retire GPT-4o, along with GPT-4.1, GPT-4.1 mini, o4-mini, and legacy GPT-5 models. GPT-4o was renowned for its chatty tone and multimodality, and users previously protested efforts to diminish it. 

Currently, the majority of users prefer recent models, the company said, such as GPT-5.2, which provide customizable personalities and creative controls emulating GPT-4o’s best features.

Tech leaders grapple with AI’s impact on creativity

With mounting criticism, Altman attracted the attention of many tech folks thanks to his honesty. Aditya Agarwal, a former Dropbox CTO and early Facebook engineer, had mixed feelings: “I spent a lot of time over the weekend writing code with Claude. And it was very clear that we will never write code by hand again. It doesn’t make any sense to do so,” he said. “Something I was very good at is now free and abundant. I am happy… but disoriented… both the form and function of my early career are now produced by AI. I am happy, but also sad and confused.”

Altman’s post highlights a broader tension at play in today’s technology landscape. Even AI pioneers say their knowledge and outputs dwindle as AI tool capabilities grow. It’s also indicative of broader social issues related to relevance, work, and creativity in an AI-dominated world. 

Altman felt he was on the receiving end of criticism, but ultimately, he got to speak from the human side of technological advancement. Just as an important reminder that, as AI continues to evolve, that feeling of inadequacy, nostalgia, and wonder will surely factor in. And not only everyday users, but also people who turn the tools into products.

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