OpenAI is making a bold push to become the next major tech platform, and developers are at the center of its strategy. Richard Murby, director of business development at Devpost, a company that supports developer communities and hackathons, shared his insights after attending OpenAI’s DevDay conference in San Francisco. Murby believes OpenAI has earned significant credibility by pioneering generative AI with consumer-facing products and powering tools like GitHub Copilot. However, he stresses that the company hasn’t secured developer loyalty yet. The real challenge lies in winning long-term engagement and trust in a crowded, fast-moving space where developers have many options. From a developer’s perspective, the appeal of building on OpenAI is clear: generative AI delivers immediate value. It accelerates coding, helps debug issues, and speeds up feature development—benefits that resonate with both developers and their teams. OpenAI is now trying to deepen that relationship by offering more than just models. The launch of a new AI-focused app directory and a dedicated SDK suggests a shift toward creating a full platform where developers can build, distribute, and monetize AI-powered applications—mirroring the model Apple and Google established with their app ecosystems. Still, hurdles remain. Developers face an overwhelming number of tools and rapid advancements across competitors like Google, Meta, and Anthropic. Keeping up is difficult, and internal IT teams often resist adopting too many new platforms. This creates a strategic dilemma: commit fully to one ecosystem or spread efforts across multiple tools. Hackathons, like those Devpost helps organize, are crucial in this context—they offer hands-on experience, foster innovation, and generate real-world feedback. At DevDay, Murby saw strong signals that OpenAI is serious about becoming a foundational platform. Investments in infrastructure, the new app directory, and the introduction of a coding agent all point to a long-term vision. But he cautions against comparing OpenAI directly to Apple or Google. The company isn’t building a mobile operating system—it’s aiming to become the dominant conversational interface of the future, shifting the platform from devices to conversations. This new paradigm is uncharted territory. Success will depend on building a vibrant developer community that sees OpenAI not just as a tool provider, but as the foundation for the next generation of AI applications. One moment that stood out to Murby was a quote from Jony Ive: “Why would we run this new generation of technology through the last generation’s interfaces?” It encapsulates the core idea behind OpenAI’s ambition—reimagining how we interact with technology. While the company didn’t reveal much about its future plans, Murby left the event energized by the potential of what’s next.