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OpenAI DevDay 2025: Why This Year Matters
OpenAI DevDay 2025 is shaping up to be the company’s largest developer event to date. More than 1,500 attendees are expected to gather at Fort Mason in San Francisco for the third annual conference on October 6. At Squaredtech, we believe this year’s DevDay will be a defining moment for OpenAI, not just because of its growing influence in artificial intelligence but because of the timing. The company is facing a new wave of competition, mounting developer expectations, and questions about its long-term strategy.
CEO Sam Altman will open the event with a keynote that promises announcements, live demos, and a forward-looking vision for how developers are reshaping technology with AI. The keynote begins at 10 a.m. PT and will be livestreamed on OpenAI’s YouTube channel, making it the only official broadcast available for remote viewers. Everything else at DevDay will be exclusive to in-person attendees, with recordings uploaded later.
This year’s lineup reflects OpenAI’s growing reach beyond its early products like ChatGPT. The agenda includes fireside chats with iconic figures like Jony Ive, former chief designer at Apple, and presentations from leading investors, researchers, and policy voices. In short, DevDay 2025 is positioned as a statement event a showcase of influence as much as technology.
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OpenAI’s Position in a Shifting AI Landscape
Squaredtech has tracked OpenAI since its first DevDay in 2023, when the company unveiled GPT-4 Turbo and floated the idea of a GPT Store for AI agents. At that time, OpenAI was still largely defined by ChatGPT and its API platform. But the AI market has changed significantly since then, and OpenAI is now working on an ambitious portfolio of new products.
At the same time, competition has intensified. Anthropic has gained attention with its Claude models, which are proving valuable for coding and productivity tasks. Google continues to roll out increasingly powerful versions of its Gemini models, while Meta has doubled down on research through its new unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs. These rivals are forcing a response from OpenAI to release better-performing models at lower costs, which raises questions about sustainability.
For developers, this competition is both a challenge and an opportunity. Squaredtech analysts see DevDay 2025 as a chance for OpenAI to reaffirm its leadership by showing that it still sets the pace in model innovation, pricing, and developer tools. The company must not only impress with flashy demos but also prove that it can deliver real value to businesses building on its platform.
What to Expect at DevDay 2025
The schedule at DevDay 2025 is packed with key sessions that highlight OpenAI’s priorities and future direction.
- Opening Keynote (10 a.m. PT): Sam Altman will take the stage to share new announcements, live demos, and his vision for the developer community. This is the only event livestreamed, making it the centerpiece for remote audiences.
- Guest Speakers: Onstage presentations include Cursor co-founder Aman Sanger, San Francisco mayor Daniel Lurie, and Andreessen Horowitz partner Kimberly Tan. Several OpenAI employees will also showcase their work, including model behavior researcher Laurentia Romaniuk and Codex lead Alexander Embiricos.
- AI-Powered Experiences: DevDay will feature interactive exhibits, including “Sora Cinema,” a mini-theater screening AI-generated short films created with OpenAI’s video model, Sora. Another exhibit promises a phone booth with a “living portrait” of Alan Turing that can hold conversations with attendees.
- Developer State of the Union (3:15 p.m. PT): OpenAI president Greg Brockman and product lead Olivier Godement will share updates about the OpenAI Platform, demo new features, and outline plans for developers.
- Closing Fireside Chat (4:15 p.m. PT): Sam Altman will sit down with Jony Ive to discuss “the craft of building in the age of AI.” This conversation will explore design philosophy, product vision, and the future of human-AI collaboration.
For attendees, DevDay offers networking opportunities with OpenAI executives, investors, and peers across the AI ecosystem. For remote viewers, the keynote livestream and later YouTube uploads will be the main windows into the event.
The Bigger Picture: What DevDay Means for Developers
From our perspective, DevDay is more than just a showcase of technology. It is a signal to the broader developer community about where the company is heading and how it expects others to build on its platform.
The presence of global leaders, from venture capital partners to city officials, suggests OpenAI is positioning itself as a cornerstone of future economic and social development. The inclusion of creative experiences like Sora Cinema also shows how OpenAI wants to highlight the cultural side of AI, not just the technical capabilities.
Yet uncertainty looms. OpenAI has teased projects like the AI browser and AI device without confirming launch details. The GPT Store, introduced in 2023, has received little public attention since its debut. These gaps leave plenty of room for speculation and developers will be watching closely for updates that clarify how serious OpenAI is about its consumer ambitions.
For developers who depend on AI models, stability and pricing are just as important as flashy product demos. With rivals catching up, there is a need to demonstrate that a leadership position can be maintained without losing the trust of the developer base. DevDay 2025 is a critical moment to deliver that reassurance.
How to Watch OpenAI DevDay 2025
If you cannot attend in person, the good news is that the opening keynote will be livestreamed on OpenAI’s official YouTube page starting at 10 a.m. PT on October 6. The session will last about an hour and will include announcements, demos, and Altman’s vision for the future.
Other sessions, including the Developer State of the Union and the fireside chat with Jony Ive, will not be livestreamed but will be uploaded to YouTube later in the day. This makes the keynote the most important session to watch live, while the remaining events can be viewed on replay.
We will also provide analysis and breakdowns of the announcements after the event, offering context on what the news means for developers, investors, and businesses relying on AI.
Final Thoughts
OpenAI DevDay 2025 represents a milestone for both the company and the broader AI industry. With more competition than ever and rising expectations from developers, OpenAI has a lot to prove. Whether it announces a new model, provides updates on long-rumored products, or simply reinforces its developer ecosystem, the event will shape how the company is perceived for the next year.
At Squaredtech, we see DevDay 2025 as a proving ground. OpenAI must show that it can balance innovation with reliability, vision with execution, and ambition with trust. Developers will be watching not just for announcements but for answers about the future of AI development.
One thing is certain: DevDay 2025 will be OpenAI’s biggest test yet.
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