ChatGPT & Codex Outage: Users Slam API Key Errors

A widespread outage affected OpenAI's popular AI tools, ChatGPT and Codex, beginning on Friday evening. Reports surged on outage-tracking websites starting around 6:55 p.m. EDT, with users expressing significant frustration. The core of the problem appeared to be an 'Unexpected status 401: Incorrect API key' error, a message that baffled and blocked many attempting to use the services.

Users reported the issue manifesting across different platforms, including direct browser access and API integrations. One user described encountering an "Error in message stream" with a retry button, which persisted even after trying multiple browsers and computers. This error, along with the API key authentication problem, indicated a systemic issue rather than isolated user problems. The disruption lasted for an unspecified duration as users sought solutions.