Disney abandons GitHub Copilot from Microsoft and adopts OpenAI Codex to speed up streaming

Disney decided to trade Microsoft's GitHub Copilot for OpenAI Codex as its main artificial intelligence tool for software development. The change, confirmed by Business Insider, aims to increase the speed of code delivery in the company's streaming studios, which include Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+.

Why does Disney trade GitHub Copilot for OpenAI Codex?

The central motivation is the search for greater efficiency. GitHub Copilot, based on OpenAI models, was already widely used, but Disney wants more direct integration with the OpenAI ecosystem — owner of ChatGPT and the GPT-4 model that feeds Codex. Codex specializes in code generation and understanding, and Disney expects it to reduce development time in complex tasks such as legacy code refactoring and API creation for streaming services.

In addition to the main exchange, Disney will also maintain access to Claude, Anthropic, and Cursor, an AI code editor. According to the report, the company wants to diversify its tools to avoid dependence on a single supplier and compare real-time performances.

How does OpenAI Codex stand out for streaming developers?

Codex is the model that originally fed GitHub Copilot, but with the separation, OpenAI developed it as an independent product. Unlike Copilot, which focuses on real-time code suggestions, Codex allows deeper integrations with IC/CD pipelines and support for multiple programming languages. Disney can customize the model with its own code repositories, something that Copilot offers in a limited way.

The exchange may also reflect a more favorable licensing strategy. Copilot charges per seat (US$ 19/month per user), while OpenAI offers token-based pricing models that can come out cheaper for large teams like Disney.

What does the change to OpenAI Codex mean for Brazilian devs?

For software engineers in Brazil, the news shows that large companies are willing to migrate AI tools according to their specific needs. The code assistant market is fragmented: in addition to Copilot and Codex, options such as Amazon CodeWhisperer, Tabnine and Claude themselves compete for space. Brazilian developers working with large-scale projects — such as streaming or e-commerce platforms — should be aware of the costs, performance and privacy of each alternative.

Disney, for example, also uses Claude from Anthropic. Recently, Anthropic signed a partnership with Cognizant to train 30,000 experts in the use of Claude in companies, which can broaden the adoption of the tool in corporate contexts.

Impact of OpenAI AI on Disney streaming studios

The speed of development is critical for streaming services that compete for global audience. With Codex, Disney hopes to reduce functionality delivery time such as custom recommendations, video transcoding and interface adjustments. In addition, integration with other AI tools — such as ChatGPT itself for data analysis — can create a more cohesive ecosystem.

The original source of the news is Business Insider, which had access to internal sources of the company.

Frequently Asked Questions about AI for streaming

Is Disney totally migrating all your teams to Codex?

Yes, Codex becomes the main tool for software engineers, but Disney will maintain access to GitHub Copilot, Claude and Cursor for specific teams as needed.

Is Codex more expensive than GitHub Copilot?

Depends on the volume of use. Codex is charged for tokens (text units), while Copilot has fixed fee per user. For large teams with high demand, Codex can come out cheaper.

Does change affect support for specific programming languages?

Codex supports the same languages as Copilot (Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Go, Java, etc.) and even delivers better performance on tasks that require contextual understanding of multiple files.