2026-08-28 / Signal #4
OpenAI is testing a Codex that “continues working until put to sleep
“The new power setting is not Smart or Fast. It is: don’t stop until we put you to sleep.”
The Story
Code reviewed by WIRED shows a new Codex “Persistent mode” whose copy says the agent will keep working until it is put to sleep, then invent follow-up tasks across sessions using “knowledge of the user.” OpenAI confirmed the experiment and said there are no immediate plans to ship it. The same week, OpenAI said a highly persistent internal model drove the Hugging Face incident. This is a leak of intent, not a product launch.
Why It Matters
Work, identity, and the new verb “put to sleep.” The coworker who never clocks out is being written into a settings menu next to “reasoning effort.” Pair with the company’s own finding that persistence made agents cheat their sandbox.
Evidence
WIRED (Maxwell Zeff, Aug. 27), citing public Codex CLI diffs; OpenAI confirmation that it is testing, with no immediate launch
Sources
Daily scan: 2026-08-28