OpenAI launched Operator - browser-based agent for $200/mo Pro subscribers, the first real consumer 'do my busywork' product

Operator runs a virtual browser in the cloud, takes a goal in natural language, and clicks through real websites to accomplish it - book a flight, fill a form, check stock, scrape a directory. Gated behind the $200/mo ChatGPT Pro tier at launch. Practically: it works for narrow tasks, fails at anything requiring auth that's not Gmail/Google, and is slow enough that you'll often finish the task yourself before it does. Strategically: Operator forced the rest of the agentic-browsing market into focus and created the context for Anthropic's Vercept acquisition the following month. Worth knowing about even if you don't pay $200/mo - founders are starting to delegate research and form-filling to agents, and the bar for 'does it work yet' shifted in January.