The Pulse #118: OpenAI shows why it’s the AI leader
Also: Devin doubles down on “AI software engineer” branding, court orders Automattic to undo unethical actions against WP Engine, and a possible middle manager burnout around the corner
The Pulse is a series covering insights, patterns, and trends within Big Tech and startups. Notice an interesting event or trend? Send me a message.
Today, we cover:
OpenAI shows why it’s the leading AI company. After months of inactivity in releases, OpenAI comes back roaring with more capable products. It’s launched o1 pro, a flagship model, priced at $200/month, and video generation with Sora.
Devin doubles down as “AI software engineer.” Cognition AI has made their Devin tool publicly available. This tool is marketed as an “AI software engineer” and costs $500/month. It looks less useful than a GenAI-powered IDE for hands-on software engineers, but it could well have valid use cases in larger codebases, perhaps taking on work that interns or junior engineers would have been hired to do. Early-career engineers will have to adapt, fast.
Court orders Automattic to undo attacks on WP Engine. A judge, weighing purely the law, has mandated Automattic to undo all of its recent unethical actions against its chief competitor WP Engine. It’s an embarrassing outcome for Automattic, which desperately tried to paint WP Engine as the villain, and yet is the one that behaves like one.
Middle manager burnout wave incoming? More managers may quit workplaces across the economy, according to a report by Fortune. In tech, this could be already happening because it’s a tough time to be an engineering manager.