OpenAI Moves to Acquire Pierre, Beefing Up Code Review in Codex
Pierre's tools for browsing project files and reviewing code changes will be applied more broadly across Codex. Existing customers can keep using Code Storage, and Pierre's open source projects will stay open source.
On November 4, OpenAI announced that it plans to acquire Pierre Computer Company, Inc. The goal is to strengthen how Codex, its coding assistant, lets users browse project files and review changes. The deal still has to clear customary conditions such as regulatory approval. Until then, the two companies will operate separately.
Technology already inside Codex
Some of Pierre’s technology is already built into the Codex app: Trees, which helps you browse project files, and Diffs, which helps you review code changes. OpenAI says that by acquiring the company behind those tools, it wants to push coding, navigation, and review capabilities further.
Diffs includes an Edit mode that lets you make a fix on the spot while you are reviewing changes. If you spot a problem while reading through code, you can correct it right there.
Another Pierre tool, Highlights, visually highlights code syntax. It applies not only to code a person types but also to code being written by an AI agent working on its own. If Trees is about finding project files, Highlights is about making code that is still being written easier to read.
Code Storage features are coming to Codex too
OpenAI also plans to bring the capabilities of Code Storage into Codex. That service stores code and tracks what has changed, using Git, the system for managing code revision history.
Existing Code Storage customers will be able to keep using the service after the acquisition closes, OpenAI said. Pierre’s open source projects will remain open source, and OpenAI said it will continue contributing to them.
When will the new features be available?
OpenAI did not give a release date for any new products or integrations. As things stand, Trees and Diffs are in use in the Codex app, and OpenAI has announced plans to bring Code Storage features into Codex.
The focus of this acquisition plan is not only on writing code. It is about handling the whole loop inside Codex: finding files, checking changes, and fixing them. The open questions are whether the deal actually closes, and when and how Code Storage’s capabilities will land in Codex.