OpenAI Hid Secret Codex Merch Codes in Their Super Bowl Ad

The opportunity lasted for just a few seconds

News

By RC Staff

10 February 2026

Key Points

OpenAI hid instructions in their Super Bowl commercial showing terminal text about a merch drop
Users needed to open the Codex app and enter a command to generate a link
Only 1,000 ad-exclusive bundles were available and have all been claimed

It seems like the nerds were actually having a lot fun during last night’s Super Bowl. In between AI ads for Anthropic and Svedka, OpenAI spun up a genuinely clever easter egg in their Codex promo. Attentive viewers were able to snag an exclusive bundle of Codex merch by following a clue hidden in just a few seconds of the ad. Here’s how it worked.

Codex Super Bowl Easter Egg

OpenAI ran their Super Bowl ad during the first quarter of the Patriots vs Seahawks matchup, positioning Codex as a tool that lets anyone build anything. The commercial showed hands sketching, coding on old computers, working with robots, and eventually using modern AI tools.

Buried in that feel-good montage about democratizing technology was a genuine treasure hunt that rewarded viewers who were both paying attention and familiar with the Codex platform.

Around the 45-second mark of OpenAI’s 60-second Codex spot, there’s a quick POV shot of someone typing in a terminal. Most viewers probably thought it was just part of the montage showing people building things with code. But the text on screen said something specific: “create a hidden skill for a limited Codex merch drop.”

You’d need a 4K TV and near-autistic levels of paying attention to random details, but then again, that’s probably the exact kind of person OpenAI was aiming the ad at.

How it Actually Worked

If you caught the terminal message and had the Codex app installed, here’s what you had to do:

Open Codex
Navigate to Skills
Install the Skill Installer
Install the “Build Things” skill
Type exactly “You Can Just Build Things”
The app generated a custom checkout link
Claim your free bundle

Speed and knowledge were the only gates. No purchase necessary, no complicated entry process. You just had to notice the hint, spin up Codex, and be a little clever. For developers, this was probably a 60-second task. For everyone else watching football, the opportunity sailed right past.

The merch package included six items: Limited edition Codex hoodie, Enamel pin, Branded cap, Sticker pack, OpenAI shortcut keyboard button, and a Keycap-shaped keychain.

These items are not currently for sale anywhere else, making them a Super Bowl ad exclusive and limited to 1,000 bundles already allocated.

This follows their December 2025 anniversary campaign where they hid 10 easter eggs across their merch site for their 10th birthday. Those limited editions sold out immediately. OpenAI is learning that their community responds to interactive experiences, not just product announcements.

The Super Bowl execution was particularly clever because it leveraged the product itself. You couldn’t just visit a website or enter a code. You had to use Codex to unlock the reward. It’s marketing that doubles as user engagement, proving you’re actually in the ecosystem rather than just interested from the outside.

Bottom Line

You can’t get these bundles anymore. All 1,000 are claimed. But the lesson here is worth noting: pay attention to everything in tech drops. Easter eggs are becoming standard practice for companies trying to reward their most engaged users. Sometimes the real opportunity isn’t the obvious product launch – it’s the hidden activation that 99.9% of people miss.

Ahead of the Super Bowl, Anthropic’s attack ads aimed at ChatGPT were what most people were talking about, but it seems like the marketing minds at OpenAI have them beat this time.