OpenAI Snaps Up Astral to Supercharge Its Coding Assistant
OpenAI has acquired developer tools startup Astral, marking its latest move in the intensifying battle for AI-powered programming dominance. The deal, announced March 19, brings Astral's team under OpenAI's wing to enhance the Codex coding assistant. While financial details remain undisclosed, the acquisition signals OpenAI's aggressive push to stay ahead of rivals like Anthropic and Cursor in the booming AI programming space. This comes amid a broader acquisition spree that's seen OpenAI expand into hardware, security, and healthcare sectors.