How is it a subpar product? I've been very happy with GPT 5.4 and the Codex CLI tooling, as well as ChatGPT web. I'd say product is one of their strengths.
I don't use anywhere near $1000/mo of inference. But yes, the question of what to do when prices go up a lot does concern me. However, with respect to product alone, Codex is still very good.
