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Today’s Episode

Claude Code hit $1B ARR in 6 months. But OpenAI is not just giving up.

ChatGPT’s new Codex is the most powerful way for product managers to build prototypes.

And it’s a far better way to use ChatGPT than the browser.

So every PM should know how to use it.

Today, I brought back the man behind my Claude Code tutorial, Carl Vellotti, for a full guide on how to use ChatGPT Codex for PMs:

This might be the most important podcast you watch all year.

(And not a single other PM podcast has even talked about this tool)

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Today’s guide covers:

* Getting Started: The Non-Technical PM’s Guide to Codex CLI

* Classic PM Tasks: Documents, Meetings & PRDs with Codex

* Advanced Prototyping: From Vibe Coder to Vibe Engineer

This is your complete Codex roadmap.

1. How to Get Started - The Non-Technical PM’s Guide to Codex CLI

If you’ve never touched a terminal, this is for you.

1a. Open Codex in an IDE

Carl opens Cursor and shows files Codex creates in real-time.

Workflow: Open project folder in Cursor → Terminal (Control + backtick) → Type codex.

Now you see files created, preview documents, navigate visually.

As Carl Says:

“Open it in an IDE. Easiest way to see what it’s actually doing.”

1b. The YOLO Mode Hack

Codex asks for permission constantly—every website, every command.

Solution:

codex --yolo

Full access mode. No prompts. Just execution.

“Haven’t broken my computer yet. We’re in this directory so it won’t leave.”

1c. Codex vs Claude Code

Same task on both: Search web, summarize differences.

Claude Code: 3 searches simultaneously, ~2 minCodex: One site at a time, asks permissions, ~4 min

Claude Code is faster, hides details. Codex shows every command—more verbose.

“It’s Apple versus Microsoft. Claude does things in a nicer interface. Codex shows you everything.”

2. How to Handle Classic PM Tasks with Codex

Codex shines at daily PM work.

2a. File Analysis Without Uploading

Run Codex from a folder, it accesses everything. No uploading.

Carl has demo folder (Taskflow) with interviews, notes, PRDs.

“What user interviews completed?” → Codex lists them“Top 3 p