OpenAI just bought Python itself and called it “product”

2 million people are now using OpenAI’s Codex, which is triple since the start of the year. That’s not “growth,” that’s a stampede toward the free buffet right before they start charging for plates.

And now OpenAI is buying Astral, a Python tooling startup, and folding the team into Codex. If you’re wondering why an AI company is shopping for dev tools like it’s doing a CVS run, it’s because the real prize isn’t “AI that codes.” It’s owning where code gets written, checked, packaged, and shipped.

OpenAI will say this is about “improving the developer experience” and “meeting developers where they are.”

Astral lives in the unsexy part of software that actually matters: tooling. The stuff that decides whether your build works, your dependencies don’t explode, and your team doesn’t spend Friday night arguing with a linter like it’s a custody battle.

Meanwhile, every company on Earth is trying to reduce “engineering costs,” which is a fun corporate way to say “we’d like the same output, fewer humans, and also you should be grateful.” Codex getting to 2 million users means the habit is forming: devs are letting the assistant drive.

And once your workflow lives inside one company’s box, switching stops being a “choice” and starts being “a week-long nightmare plus a budget meeting.”