OpenAI's internal metric: Are you "mainlining" the product?

lennysan · x · 2026-09-01

Lenny Rachitsky interviewed Tara Seshan, who leads product for Codex and ChatGPT at OpenAI. The discussion highlighted an internal meme: "Are you mainlining it?"—asking if employees are using the product all day, every day. This metric is seen as crucial for product viability and explains the recent vibe shift towards Codex. Tara also shared her rule for building on frontier models: build for where they will be, not just where they are.

Related event: OpenAI's internal mantra "Are you mainlining it yet?" pushes full-time reliance on its own products(5 posts)→

Original post →

More from Companies & People

Companies & People channel →