Quote · God Mode Podcast
EP17: The SpaceX IPO Thesis Just Flipped + Anthropic Passed OpenAI (First Time IRL, w/ Reuben Ferrante)
Where this was said
Why builders are switching to Codex
At 26:38 · chapter starts 25:30
The debate turns from macro to product: why are builders quietly defecting from Anthropic to Codex? Luca makes the economic case — once Codex reaches parity with Opus on the tasks most builders actually do, the 20–30% cost differential wins. You don't need Mythos to write copy or build a web app. [1] — Luca "Codex and Opus are increasingly on par for most coding tasks, but Codex is significantly cheaper. A 20–30% cost saving on token spend is en…" 26:00 Rik adds nuance: Anthropic has historically been efficient at building models (spending roughly 50% of OpenAI's capex to get the next model out), but its pricing has always been elevated because it doesn't own its own compute — it rents. OpenAI's realization that it could build a cheaper coding model that's 'pretty much just as good' for backend work is paying off. Mythos may wow on security benchmarks, but if GPT-5.5 solves the same problems a few weeks later, the premium evaporates.
Codex and Opus are increasingly on par for most coding tasks, but Codex is significantly cheaper. A 20–30% cost saving on token spend is enough to move entire workflows. The era of paying a premium for Anthropic because you have to is ending.
Anthropic's upcoming Mythos model is priced at $25 per million input tokens and $125 per million output tokens — 3 to 4 times more expensive than Opus.
