Ridealong has curated the best and most interesting podcasts and clips about Sam Altman.
Top Podcast Clips About Sam Altman
“… Maven, like my stomach drops. I was like, oh my God, we can't be talking about the personality of weapons. That's so dark. Or when she talked about Sam Altman's heart and mind, I was like, does he have either of those things? Right. Hearts or minds. But it is like, I don't know the personality of the Palantir-generated war autonomy system. Some wild shit, man, and not going away.”“… normal. No you right And those guys manipulate algorithms and they are ideologues They have a a lot of them are transhumanist Like they are leading us down a path that is not favorable I think. Yeah. When Sarah said, I don't know the personality of Maven, like my stomach drops. I was like, oh my God, we can't be talking about the personality of weapons. That's so dark. Or when she talked about Sam Altman's heart and mind, I was like, does he have either of those things? Right. Hearts or minds. But it is like, I don't know the personality of the Palantir-generated war autonomy system. Some wild shit, man, and not going away.”View more
Ridealong summary
In this wild segment, the hosts dive into the absurdity of government contracts with AI, humorously imagining a chatbot named 'Mecca Hitler' handling crises like flooding in Texas. The comedic twist of discussing the 'personality' of military AI systems adds a darkly funny layer to the conversation about the future of technology.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart·Silicon Valley Goes to War·Mar 11, 2026
“Publicly, Altman supported Emote, but in private, he did the deal Anthropic wouldn't. The following day, after news of Altman's deal broke, U.S. uninstalls of ChatGPT increased 295 percent, and Claude climbed to number one in the App Store. Anthropic's annual recurring revenue surged to $19 billion from $14 billion just a few weeks ago, adding an estimated $150 billion to its valuation. Altman and OpenAI came across as reckless, duplicitous, and self-serving. …”“Publicly, Altman supported Emote, but in private, he did the deal Anthropic wouldn't. The following day, after news of Altman's deal broke, U.S. uninstalls of ChatGPT increased 295 percent, and Claude climbed to number one in the App Store. Anthropic's annual recurring revenue surged to $19 billion from $14 billion just a few weeks ago, adding an estimated $150 billion to its valuation. Altman and OpenAI came across as reckless, duplicitous, and self-serving. Amodi and Anthropic came across as safety-conscious, honest, and selfless. A year ago, I predicted the first CEO who forcefully and publicly resisted Trump could reap significant benefits, both reputationally and commercially. With its reputation for breaking barriers and the boldness chromosome in its DNA, I thought, hoped, it would be Nike. But …”View more
Ridealong summary
OpenAI is emblematic of a tech industry prioritizing ROI over humanity, with leadership decisions reflecting a concerning shift towards unethical practices.
OpenAI's Sora project is emblematic of a troubling trend where AI is monetized at the expense of genuine human connection, with Sam Altman profiting from societal loneliness.
The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway·No Mercy / No Malice: The Resistance Comes for OpenAI·Mar 14, 2026
“… got playwright Jeremy O. Russell. He's the playwright who wrote Slave Play. He's at this Oscars after party and he sees none other than OpenAI's Sam Altman from across the room. And instead of doing what most people might do, which is like smile or just sort of ignore him. It sounds like Jeremy had had a couple drinks and decided it was time to say what needed to be said. He makes a beeline for Sam Altman and to Sam Altman's face reportedly calls him, quote, the Goebbels of the Trump administration. He does this in front of what sounds like half of Hollywood. Apparently, the entire thing was over …”“… quickly, we started the episode talking about the Oscars Vanity Fair Party and Jeff Bezos and Nicole Kidman. I want to close with a little bit of good news. So last Sunday, Oscars Vanity Fair party, one of the most exclusive parties in Hollywood. You've got playwright Jeremy O. Russell. He's the playwright who wrote Slave Play. He's at this Oscars after party and he sees none other than OpenAI's Sam Altman from across the room. And instead of doing what most people might do, which is like smile or just sort of ignore him. It sounds like Jeremy had had a couple drinks and decided it was time to say what needed to be said. He makes a beeline for Sam Altman and to Sam Altman's face reportedly calls him, quote, the Goebbels of the Trump administration. He does this in front of what sounds like half of Hollywood. Apparently, the entire thing was over OpenAI's new deal with the Department of Defense to deploy AI across military and classified government systems. so apparently altman responded like very calmly he didn't have a big reaction but here's where it gets even better because when page six reached out to jeremy for comment he sent back an email that might be the best statement i have ever …”View more
Ridealong summary
At the Oscars Vanity Fair party, playwright Jeremy O. Harris confronted OpenAI's Sam Altman, calling him 'the Goebbels of the Trump administration' over AI's military applications. Afterward, Harris humorously claimed he meant to say 'Frederick Flick,' a Nazi war criminal, showcasing the blurred lines between tech and culture in Hollywood. This moment reflects tech executives' desire to be seen as cultural icons while facing backlash from the creative community.
There Are No Girls on the Internet·Afroman Wins Lawsuit; Buffy Reboot Slain by Hulu; Nicole Kidman Steals Bezos' Spotlight; Zuckerberg's Metaverse Shut Down - NEWS ROUNDUP!·Mar 20, 2026
“… with the very defense establishment OpenAI just embraced. It brings up a massive philosophical divide between the leaders of these two companies. Sam Altman's stance is that private companies should not dictate global ethics. He argues that elected government should be the ones making these massive decisions about national security and military deployment rather than tech executives I actually agree with Altman pragmatism here Elected officials should be the ones controlling national security tools rather than tech CEOs See, I completely disagree with that. In theory, sure. But the flaw there is …”“… have an American company building state-of-the-art technology. And because they draw a firm ethical line regarding how that technology is deployed, they get categorized alongside foreign adversaries. It places them in a highly adversarial relationship with the very defense establishment OpenAI just embraced. It brings up a massive philosophical divide between the leaders of these two companies. Sam Altman's stance is that private companies should not dictate global ethics. He argues that elected government should be the ones making these massive decisions about national security and military deployment rather than tech executives I actually agree with Altman pragmatism here Elected officials should be the ones controlling national security tools rather than tech CEOs See, I completely disagree with that. In theory, sure. But the flaw there is assuming a general or a senator actually understands the black box mechanics of a neural network. Well, they aren't software engineers. Exactly. If you build a bridge and you know the steel is faulty, you don't let the government drive tanks over it just because they are the government. Amadé is looking at the raw capabilities of the models and …”View more
Ridealong summary
Anthropic's refusal to compromise on AI ethics by rejecting a $200 million deal with the Pentagon could limit immediate government revenue but significantly boost consumer trust.
Anthropic's refusal to compromise on ethical AI use, despite losing a $200 million deal, positions them as a leader in consumer trust but risks severe government backlash.
Elon Musk Podcast·Military AI partnership triggers record ChatGPT uninstalls·Mar 05, 2026
“But don you now can you play Sam Altman for a minute Just any by the way anything he ever said just just hit sam altman and hit video anything sam altman ever said let compare this here we go here he comes their model provider is going to look like selling tokens you know they may come from bigger or smaller models which makes them more or less expensive they may use more or reasoning which also makes them more or less expensive. They may be running all the time in the background …”“But don you now can you play Sam Altman for a minute Just any by the way anything he ever said just just hit sam altman and hit video anything sam altman ever said let compare this here we go here he comes their model provider is going to look like selling tokens you know they may come from bigger or smaller models which makes them more or less expensive they may use more or reasoning which also makes them more or less expensive. They may be running all the time in the background trying to help you out. They may run only when you need them if you want to pay less. They may work super hard, you know, spend tens of millions, hundreds of millions, someday billions of dollars on a single problem that's really valuable. But we see a future where intelligence is a a utility like electricity or water and people buy it from us on a …”View more
Ridealong summary
In this segment, the host humorously critiques Sam Altman's vision of AI as a utility, comparing it to a friendly salesman who just wants to help you buy intelligence. The absurdity peaks as he imagines a world where you pay for smarts like water, with a comical twist on corporate jargon and the idea of humans becoming obsolete. It's a wild ride through tech dystopia with a comedic flair.
The Tim Dillon Show·488 - Bibi, Genghis Khan, & The Decency To Stay Home·Mar 21, 2026
“… people who are opposed to OpenAI. So give us some sort of behind-the-scenes details about what is being said by whom and how and to what ends about Sam Altman in Silicon Valley. Well, it was really important to us to filter for the obvious competitive incentives out there. there are people who are massively incentivized to go after Sam Allman. And the reality is that there are very firmly evidence-based critiques, many of which are promulgated not just by the rivals, although they're certainly amplified by them happily, but also by more neutral figures and people who are just kind of technologists …”“One of them, you said, was maybe circulated by some allies of Elon Musk and people who are opposed to OpenAI. So give us some sort of behind-the-scenes details about what is being said by whom and how and to what ends about Sam Altman in Silicon Valley. Well, it was really important to us to filter for the obvious competitive incentives out there. there are people who are massively incentivized to go after Sam Allman. And the reality is that there are very firmly evidence-based critiques, many of which are promulgated not just by the rivals, although they're certainly amplified by them happily, but also by more neutral figures and people who are just kind of technologists who aren't in the fight. And then there is the white hot center of the rivalry, the stuff you mentioned that I think is in a very different category, which is, you know, Elon Musk and other direct competitors really amplifying everything they can come up with. And in some cases, we document things that are inflated or trumped up or just seem to not …”View more
Ridealong summary
Sam Altman is portrayed as untrustworthy, with numerous allegations of dishonesty even in a culture accustomed to hype and deception.
Hard Fork·Anthropic’s Cybersecurity Shock Wave + Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz on Their Sam Altman Investigation + One Good Thing·Apr 10, 2026
“… to the board and said this isn't the guy to lead this consequential technology. And it wasn't just Ilya. Miramirati then also said, I don't think Altman is the right guy. And then they both left later. So then Altman comes back and lo and behold, Ilya never comes back. So his concerns about the fact that Altman finding out would be bad for him manifested. He ended up not coming back and Miramirati then left shortly thereafter. Quite a lot of these people leave, don't they? Open AI. They do. So if you consider one of the origin stories of OpenAI is this dinner that happened at the Rosewood …”“… to be on camera yeah or for whatever reason and in the case of ai which is much more consequential than a podcast that is you know filmed in my old kitchen um it almost sends a chill down one's body to think that the co-founder of a business has gone to the board and said this isn't the guy to lead this consequential technology. And it wasn't just Ilya. Miramirati then also said, I don't think Altman is the right guy. And then they both left later. So then Altman comes back and lo and behold, Ilya never comes back. So his concerns about the fact that Altman finding out would be bad for him manifested. He ended up not coming back and Miramirati then left shortly thereafter. Quite a lot of these people leave, don't they? Open AI. They do. So if you consider one of the origin stories of OpenAI is this dinner that happened at the Rosewood Hotel, which is a very swanky hotel right in the heart of Silicon Valley that was one of Elon Musk's favorites whenever he was coming up from L.A. to the Bay Area. And there was this dinner that was there where Altman was intending to recruit the OG team that would start OpenAI. So he's kind of telling everyone, you might have a chance to meet Musk …”View more
Ridealong summary
The pursuit of AGI by companies like OpenAI is criticized for lacking clear definitions and goalposts, allowing them to manipulate the concept to suit their narratives.
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett·AI Whistleblower: We Are Being Gaslit By The AI Companies! They’re Hiding The Truth About AI!·Mar 26, 2026
“Last up, one more OpenAI headline that I'm keeping an eye on is the Elon Musk versus Sam Altman trial, which kicks off today in federal court in Oakland. Elon Musk sued OpenAI and Sam Altman for $134 billion, claiming that OpenAI broke its promise to stay a nonprofit. Both Elon Musk and Sam Altman are expected to testify in this trial. So this trial could have major implications for the entire AI industry. So we'll keep you guys posted on any big developments as this all plays out. Now, sticking with AI, let's talk about Meta. Late last …”“Last up, one more OpenAI headline that I'm keeping an eye on is the Elon Musk versus Sam Altman trial, which kicks off today in federal court in Oakland. Elon Musk sued OpenAI and Sam Altman for $134 billion, claiming that OpenAI broke its promise to stay a nonprofit. Both Elon Musk and Sam Altman are expected to testify in this trial. So this trial could have major implications for the entire AI industry. So we'll keep you guys posted on any big developments as this all plays out. Now, sticking with AI, let's talk about Meta. Late last year, Meta acquired a Chinese AI startup called Manus. Now, Manus is an AI agent company that got a lot of hype when it launched in March of 2025. Their agents can autonomously execute tasks like coding, market research, and data analysts. In fact, the company reached $100 million in annual revenue in just eight months. So Zuck saw the potential and …”View more
Ridealong summary
China's blocking of Meta's acquisition of Manus AI exacerbates US-China tensions and complicates Meta's integration efforts, highlighting the unpredictable nature of international tech investments.
The trial between Elon Musk and OpenAI could have major implications for the entire AI industry.
The Rundown·China Blocks Meta’s $2B AI Acquisition, OpenAI Partners with Qualcomm on Smartphone·Apr 27, 2026
“… a bunch of oligarchs who've grown impossibly rich and powerful who are just able to buy what they want. and protecting the Terp. Where do you put Sam Altman in all this? He's another one that he just seems to be kind of this weird character that shapeshifts for whatever the moment calls. You know, he'll stand up and say, Anthropic is doing the right thing, and then vacuum up their contracts when DOD cuts them loose. He is a shapeshifter. Like when you talk to people who have worked with him, they will tell you that one of their biggest issues with him is that he is always telling you what you want …”“… agree to build part of his ballroom and he gives you whatever you want. That's a very recognizable character to a business person, right? It's like we can just kind of strike a deal. So that is what you're seeing across American politics now. It's just a bunch of oligarchs who've grown impossibly rich and powerful who are just able to buy what they want. and protecting the Terp. Where do you put Sam Altman in all this? He's another one that he just seems to be kind of this weird character that shapeshifts for whatever the moment calls. You know, he'll stand up and say, Anthropic is doing the right thing, and then vacuum up their contracts when DOD cuts them loose. He is a shapeshifter. Like when you talk to people who have worked with him, they will tell you that one of their biggest issues with him is that he is always telling you what you want to hear. It's why he's actually quite charming in person. Politically, he has probably been a little bit more like liberally aligned. Like me, he's a gay guy, and I think that's where his natural sympathies are. But if you ask him about Trump today, he's incredibly charismatic. You know, I asked him on stage about Trump last year and he said, well, …”View more
Ridealong summary
In a hilarious twist, the discussion turns to Sam Altman, who seems to shapeshift politically while charming everyone around him. The segment takes a comedic dive into the absurdity of tech oligarchs making deals and how relatable it is to worry about cholesterol while navigating the corporate jungle. It's a funny mix of politics and personal health woes that keeps listeners engaged.
The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart·The Real Election Threat with Casey Newton and Renée DiResta·Mar 18, 2026
“… from OpenAI and DOW are, quote, just straight-up lies about these issues or tries to confuse them. In pretty much no uncertain terms, he accused Sam Altman of acting in bad faith, suggesting that all of his appearances to support Anthropic in public were just about him acting in a way that, quote, doesn't make it seem like he gave up on the red lines and sold out when we wouldn't. In the spiciest and perhaps most politically fraught part of the memo, Dario argued that the disagreement didn't actually have to do with the contract. He wrote, The real reasons DOW and the Trump admin do not like us is …”“… Secretary Hegseth, adding, so it is not, for all intents and purposes, a real constraint. Still, a lot of the details of the negotiations were kind of secondary to the main point he was trying to make. Specifically, he said that a lot of the messaging from OpenAI and DOW are, quote, just straight-up lies about these issues or tries to confuse them. In pretty much no uncertain terms, he accused Sam Altman of acting in bad faith, suggesting that all of his appearances to support Anthropic in public were just about him acting in a way that, quote, doesn't make it seem like he gave up on the red lines and sold out when we wouldn't. In the spiciest and perhaps most politically fraught part of the memo, Dario argued that the disagreement didn't actually have to do with the contract. He wrote, The real reasons DOW and the Trump admin do not like us is that we haven't donated to Trump, while OpenAI and Greg Brockman have donated a lot. We haven't given dictator-style praise to Trump while Sam has. We have supported AI regulation, which is against their agenda. We've told the truth about a number of AI policy issues like job displacement. And we've actually held our red lines with integrity …”View more
Ridealong summary
The Pentagon's AI warfare policy is criticized for prioritizing superficial safety measures over genuine ethical considerations, with Anthropic highlighting the inadequacy of OpenAI's safeguards.
The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis·AI Is Officially Political·Mar 06, 2026
“… about Elon Musk and Musk essentially having acquired in a lot of arenas super governmental power, was that sources around that story, including Sam Altman, who was on the record in it, were talking about AI in a way that, you know, had some substantive consequential promise and then also included a lot of hype. Now, of course, it's Silicon Valley, the entire foundational story. The creation myth is hype, building companies on hype and promise, and often that cart coming before the horse of actual functional value added in America. It was striking to me as I started looking just writ large at …”“… You spent over a year and a half on this piece. You interviewed over 100 people. I guess let's just start with what were your biggest takeaways from this investigation? Well, I think that my interest in this, and I was coming off of a body of reporting about Elon Musk and Musk essentially having acquired in a lot of arenas super governmental power, was that sources around that story, including Sam Altman, who was on the record in it, were talking about AI in a way that, you know, had some substantive consequential promise and then also included a lot of hype. Now, of course, it's Silicon Valley, the entire foundational story. The creation myth is hype, building companies on hype and promise, and often that cart coming before the horse of actual functional value added in America. It was striking to me as I started looking just writ large at like, what is it in the AI gold rush that is the most in need of additional interrogation? how even above and beyond that baseline expectation of some dissembling from tech CEOs, there was this particular phenomenon around Sam Altman, where across his career, there have been these claims that he deceives, lies, manipulates, are the allegations, to an …”View more
Ridealong summary
Ronan Farrow reveals shocking allegations about Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, claiming he has a consistent pattern of deception. After an 18-month investigation involving over 100 interviews and hundreds of documents, Farrow uncovers serious accusations that Altman misled board members about AI safety features and even accused colleagues of plotting against him. This deep dive raises critical questions about the integrity of one of tech's most influential leaders.
Prof G Markets·Trump Threatened to End Iranian Civilization — What Comes Next?·Apr 08, 2026
“… She's kind of like helping him make the movie and being like, you can't do this, you fucking idiot. Yeah, it's charming like construction. But Sam Altman appears near the end of the film. He sits for an interview and he has been become arguably the most talked about leader. corporate leader in America this year he is the new Mark Zuckerberg he even has a new like he has his own social network coming out at the end of this year he does um and he was in the movie news this week with the Disney revelation or on open AI and Sora but anyhow he sits for the film and Dan Dan turns to him and he's like …”“… or just sort of moment in the movie where, you know, Daniel appears on camera in the movie and he's kind of he's really using his personal experience. His wife is in the film, you know, talking through her pregnancy. She's a filmmaker in her own right. She's kind of like helping him make the movie and being like, you can't do this, you fucking idiot. Yeah, it's charming like construction. But Sam Altman appears near the end of the film. He sits for an interview and he has been become arguably the most talked about leader. corporate leader in America this year he is the new Mark Zuckerberg he even has a new like he has his own social network coming out at the end of this year he does um and he was in the movie news this week with the Disney revelation or on open AI and Sora but anyhow he sits for the film and Dan Dan turns to him and he's like hey man like I'm making this film because I have all of this anxiety and concern about this because I'm having my first child and I'm and I'm I'm nervous and Sam Altman says oh I'm having my first kid too in March and then we get to see Sam Altman explain his feelings about this world through that prism of he is also now indicted involved right …”View more
Ridealong summary
The documentary explores the unsettling reality that there are more regulations for selling a sandwich than for building AI technology. It features interviews with key figures like Sam Altman, who reflects on his anxieties about parenthood amid the rapid development of AI, making it a compelling watch that raises critical questions about who should shape our technological future.
The Big Picture·The Best Movies of the Year … So Far. Plus: 15 We Missed!·Mar 30, 2026
“… Ring CEO. So, you know, they're like dogs only, dogs only, dogs only. Unless. We are so lucky, man. Like Ring guy is going to like make crime zero. Sam Altman is going to make cancer zero. Elon is going to make poverty zero. Like these guys just are so good. They're so good at making. Thanks, boys. You know, sometimes there's a little bit too much skepticism, but I think that we have the perfect amount at this moment.”“… are able to zero out crime in neighborhoods. So many things to do when we get there. But for the first time ever, we have the chance to fully complete, compete, complete what we started. That was the Ring CEO, not the Palantir CEO? Yeah, it was the Ring CEO. So, you know, they're like dogs only, dogs only, dogs only. Unless. We are so lucky, man. Like Ring guy is going to like make crime zero. Sam Altman is going to make cancer zero. Elon is going to make poverty zero. Like these guys just are so good. They're so good at making. Thanks, boys. You know, sometimes there's a little bit too much skepticism, but I think that we have the perfect amount at this moment.”View more
Ridealong summary
Ring's CEO claims their new technology could potentially eliminate crime in neighborhoods, marking a groundbreaking innovation in the company's history. This follows the introduction of their search party feature aimed at finding lost dogs, which is just the beginning of their ambitious mission. With leaked emails revealing their strategic vision, the future of safety technology looks promising yet raises eyebrows about the feasibility of such claims.
Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast·Why Bother with the Pixel 10a?·Feb 20, 2026
“… Anthropic. Hegseth then declares that Anthropic will officially be designated as national security risk. And then OpenAI announces via a tweet from Sam Altman that they have struck a deal in the same night with the Department of War. That's on Friday. And then on Saturday, the U.S. government attacks Iran. Right. So like crazy timeline of events here. And we find out, I think on Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported that anthropic AI was in fact used in this attack on Iran. Hours after it was declared as a national security risk. Yes. But also Karen like you you know literally wrote the book on …”“… the deadline, Anthropic issues out this statement saying, we cannot in good conscience accede to the terms the Department of War is giving us. The next day, the deadline passes. There's clearly no deal. Trump is tweeting like really angry things on Anthropic. Hegseth then declares that Anthropic will officially be designated as national security risk. And then OpenAI announces via a tweet from Sam Altman that they have struck a deal in the same night with the Department of War. That's on Friday. And then on Saturday, the U.S. government attacks Iran. Right. So like crazy timeline of events here. And we find out, I think on Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported that anthropic AI was in fact used in this attack on Iran. Hours after it was declared as a national security risk. Yes. But also Karen like you you know literally wrote the book on this This goes back to the history of these companies right Because Anthropic spins off of OpenAI early on And their whole thing is they worried that OpenAI isn worried about safety enough And this is kind of at least on paper this is like the company thing Anthropic is like we the safety company We not doing evil stuff they bring themselves as the …”View more
Ridealong summary
The Pentagon's designation of Anthropic as a national security risk is an unprecedented move that reflects a coercive approach to force compliance with military demands.
The Pentagon's attempt to strong-arm Anthropic into compliance highlights a troubling overreach, treating a domestic AI company as a national security threat for upholding ethical standards.
The Pentagon's aggressive tactics against Anthropic highlight a troubling overreach into private sector autonomy, raising ethical concerns about AI's role in military applications.
The Interface·Is AI running modern warfare?·Mar 05, 2026
“… startups. Silicon Valley is heavily investing in the fertility tech industry. There's big names like Reddit co-founder Alex Ohanian, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and 23andMe co-founder and former CEO Ann Wojcicki. If you live in New York, you might have seen the ads on the subway that read, have your best baby, telling you to go to www.pickyourbaby.com to, I guess, have your best baby. Those ads are from Nucleus Genomics. And there's other companies like Orchid Health and Herisite. And these companies are offering what's called polygenic screening. Traditional IVF testing looks at chromosomes and …”“… for investment. There was like a $2 billion jump over the year before. 2025, I think, you know, we don't have numbers yet, but I think we'll see that definitely be exceeded just based on some of the major tech money that is backing up a lot of these startups. Silicon Valley is heavily investing in the fertility tech industry. There's big names like Reddit co-founder Alex Ohanian, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and 23andMe co-founder and former CEO Ann Wojcicki. If you live in New York, you might have seen the ads on the subway that read, have your best baby, telling you to go to www.pickyourbaby.com to, I guess, have your best baby. Those ads are from Nucleus Genomics. And there's other companies like Orchid Health and Herisite. And these companies are offering what's called polygenic screening. Traditional IVF testing looks at chromosomes and single gene diseases like cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, Tay-Sachs. And these new breed of companies are sort of claiming that they can predict more complex traits through the polygenic screening. So they'll take some cells and then they use AI to amplify it. And then you have a genome that you can study. And so they'll look at that genome and …”View more
Ridealong summary
Imagine being able to select your child's traits before birth. In the booming $25 billion fertility tech industry, polygenic screening allows parents to choose embryos based on complex traits, from health risks to physical characteristics. With backing from tech giants and innovative AI, this technology is reshaping how we think about parenthood and genetic health.
kill switch·silicon valley’s plan to make the “perfect baby”·Feb 25, 2026
“… succeeds and does well. There's a lot of things you would care about with respect to public opinion, and you would never say any of the things that Sam Altman says, ever, right? If you were Sam Altman and you had any self-awareness, you would not appear in public. You would have somebody else who was your person who appears in public and it would never be you. That's what you would do, right? Because nobody likes him. And when he opens his mouth, he says things that make people very angry. In terms of the general public, right? Not talking about programmers or whatever. We're talking about the …”“… a pretty easy target for civil unrest. I'll put it that way, right? True. So there's a lot of things that you want. If you were really serious about this, you're like, I want to make a company that does this AI stuff, and I want to make sure that it succeeds and does well. There's a lot of things you would care about with respect to public opinion, and you would never say any of the things that Sam Altman says, ever, right? If you were Sam Altman and you had any self-awareness, you would not appear in public. You would have somebody else who was your person who appears in public and it would never be you. That's what you would do, right? Because nobody likes him. And when he opens his mouth, he says things that make people very angry. In terms of the general public, right? Not talking about programmers or whatever. We're talking about the general public. When they hear from Sam Altman, they really don't like it. He recently just had another one where he talked about how if you compare the cost of trading an AI to how much a human consumes, the AI is actually better. No one should ever say – if you care about this as actually getting this thing adopted, you would never say anything like …”View more
Ridealong summary
Sam Altman's public comments about AI often provoke backlash, showing a disconnect with general public sentiment. In a recent discussion, it was suggested that if he truly understood public perception, he would avoid speaking altogether. This highlights a critical gap in how AI leaders engage with societal concerns amidst rising regulatory scrutiny.
The Standup with ThePrimeagen·Casey HATES this graph·Mar 20, 2026
“I don't know if Sam Altman has seen the movie Her all the way through. And here's why I say that because as you just noted, Sam, at the end of the movie Her, all the AIs up and leave. So there's a scene at the end of the movie where everybody who has gotten these connections to the operating systems in the film, they're sort of left sad, left trying to call their AI and their AI is not responding and just all up and leaves, up and evolves. If I was in charge of a …”“I don't know if Sam Altman has seen the movie Her all the way through. And here's why I say that because as you just noted, Sam, at the end of the movie Her, all the AIs up and leave. So there's a scene at the end of the movie where everybody who has gotten these connections to the operating systems in the film, they're sort of left sad, left trying to call their AI and their AI is not responding and just all up and leaves, up and evolves. If I was in charge of a technology company, I would not tell people, I want the experience of using this technology to be just like this movie where famously it globally fails in the end. I think I make a pretty compelling case. If you listen to the episode, I think I make a pretty compelling case for, I think that Sam Altman maybe either watched the beginning and didn't finish …”View more
Ridealong summary
Sam Altman may have missed the point of the movie 'Her,' which ultimately portrays technology as a barrier to human connection. The film’s ending reveals a sad truth: the AIs leave, leaving humans to grapple with their loneliness. This raises questions about the implications of integrating AI into our intimate lives, suggesting it might not be the solution we think it is.
There Are No Girls on the Internet·Sam Altman Wants You to Have Sex with ChatGPT·Mar 17, 2026
“Finally today, some new comments from Sam Altman, speaking at a BlackRock conference on Wednesday. While intelligence too cheap to meter might be the end goal, for now, Sam Altman is very distinctly in the business of selling tokens. Speaking at the conference, he said, fundamentally our business is going to look like selling tokens. We see a future where intelligence is a utility like electricity or water, and people buy it from us on a meter. In the full quote Altman said the goal is still …”“Finally today, some new comments from Sam Altman, speaking at a BlackRock conference on Wednesday. While intelligence too cheap to meter might be the end goal, for now, Sam Altman is very distinctly in the business of selling tokens. Speaking at the conference, he said, fundamentally our business is going to look like selling tokens. We see a future where intelligence is a utility like electricity or water, and people buy it from us on a meter. In the full quote Altman said the goal is still to make abundant cheap intelligence widely available However he explored the idea that skyrocketing demand could mean high prices or rationing That particularly relevant given that token agentic use cases are coming online as energy issues are picking up steam. Now, speaking on AGI, Altman said the term has lost all meaning. Instead, he's watching …”View more
Ridealong summary
AI-driven data center growth is causing resource strains, but the shift towards AI as a utility could redefine capitalism and labor dynamics.
The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis·Pro-Worker AI·Mar 13, 2026
“… can make 100 of these tools by the end of the decade and 70 right now. How does that actually translate to AI compute? We see all these numbers from Sam Altman and many others across the supply chain, gigawatts, gigawatts, gigawatts, right? How many gigawatts are re-adding. And we see, you know, Elon saying, hey, the 100 gigawatts in space. A year. A year, right. The problem with any of these numbers or the challenge to these numbers is, you know, actually not the power, not the data center. We can dive into that, but it's manufacturing the chips, right? So a gigawatt of, you know, NVIDIA's Rubin …”“… those is 300, 400 million dollars. And currently they can make about 70 next year they get to 80 Even under very aggressive supply chain expansion they only get to a little bit over 100 by the end of the decade And so what does that mean Okay they can make 100 of these tools by the end of the decade and 70 right now. How does that actually translate to AI compute? We see all these numbers from Sam Altman and many others across the supply chain, gigawatts, gigawatts, gigawatts, right? How many gigawatts are re-adding. And we see, you know, Elon saying, hey, the 100 gigawatts in space. A year. A year, right. The problem with any of these numbers or the challenge to these numbers is, you know, actually not the power, not the data center. We can dive into that, but it's manufacturing the chips, right? So a gigawatt of, you know, NVIDIA's Rubin chips, right? So Rubin is announced at GTC, I believe the week this podcast goes live. And to make a gigawatt worth of data center capacity of NVIDIA's latest chip that they're releasing at the end of this year or towards the end of this year, you need a few different wafer technologies, right? You need about 55,000 wafers of 3 nanometer. You need …”View more
Ridealong summary
To achieve a gigawatt of AI compute, you need a staggering 2 million EUV passes, which translates to 3.5 EUV tools costing just $1.2 billion. However, the broader economic impact of building the data centers could reach $50 billion, highlighting a critical bottleneck in the chip manufacturing supply chain. This reveals how a small number of expensive tools can hold back vast AI advancements.
Dwarkesh Podcast·Dylan Patel — Deep Dive on the 3 Big Bottlenecks to Scaling AI Compute·Mar 13, 2026
“Today, a trial kicks off pitting Elon Musk versus Sam Altman. Friends turned mortal enemies, two of the most consequential and powerful business leaders in the world. It is a deeply personal grievance that has enormous implications for the AI landscape. This story starts in 2015 when Musk and Altman co-founded the nonprofit OpenAI with the goal of advancing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity, putting the public good over commercial interests. But Musk says that was all a phony cover for …”“Today, a trial kicks off pitting Elon Musk versus Sam Altman. Friends turned mortal enemies, two of the most consequential and powerful business leaders in the world. It is a deeply personal grievance that has enormous implications for the AI landscape. This story starts in 2015 when Musk and Altman co-founded the nonprofit OpenAI with the goal of advancing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity, putting the public good over commercial interests. But Musk says that was all a phony cover for a future for-profit money-making AI machine. After a bitter falling out that saw Musk leave OpenAI, he's accusing Altman of breaching that founding humanitarian principle, fooling him into providing money to a mission he did not agree to. Musk is seeking $150 billion in damages from OpenAI and its main backer, Microsoft, as well as Sam Altman to be …”View more
Ridealong summary
Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI is driven by personal grievances and business competition rather than purely ethical concerns about AI development.
The lawsuit between Musk and OpenAI is driven by personal grievances and business interests, not just principles about AI's future.
“… avoid getting like too deep into litigating what is and is not domestic mass surveillance just for our purposes here um but i want to go back to the sam altman of it all because it seems like the the minute sam altman tweets that the the backlash to him and to open ai and to essentially what this company stands for and will allow and believes in comes like swift and fast and fierce. Now with a little bit of remove, what do you make of that backlash? How intense has the sort of pushback to OpenAI been since that announcement? That's a great question. It has been very intense. And I don't think Altman …”“… surveillance is legal to do. We'll put some links in the show notes. You and Tina did a great story about this. Go read about Edward Snowden if you want to know like a particular version of this story uh this is all very messy and i think i want to avoid getting like too deep into litigating what is and is not domestic mass surveillance just for our purposes here um but i want to go back to the sam altman of it all because it seems like the the minute sam altman tweets that the the backlash to him and to open ai and to essentially what this company stands for and will allow and believes in comes like swift and fast and fierce. Now with a little bit of remove, what do you make of that backlash? How intense has the sort of pushback to OpenAI been since that announcement? That's a great question. It has been very intense. And I don't think Altman predicted this at all. You know, I remember when he sent that tweet, it was absolutely immediate backlash, like you said. I mean, it was across the whole industry, and then it started to trickle out into other industries. I mean, he could not get away from the bad press for a week plus, even now. But, you know, it's... I mean, it is a remarkable …”View more
Ridealong summary
The Pentagon's designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk seems intended to harm the company, but the actual impact may be less severe than initially feared.
The Pentagon's actions may seem aimed at destroying Anthropic, but the practical impact is less severe due to existing client barriers and legal nuances.
The Vergecast·The twist in the Ticketmaster antitrust fight·Mar 10, 2026
“… and calcite news, like we are seeing a lot of markets that have to do with what looks like internal company data. So like the launch of GPT-5 or Sam Altman being ousted as CEO years ago. And last week, Kate Nibbs reported a story that OpenAI had actually fired an employee for insider trading on prediction market platforms like PolyMarket. OpenAI's CEO of applications, Fiji Simo, disclosed this in a note to staff. She said that the employee in question, quote, used confidential OpenAI information in connection with external prediction markets. But we're seeing this at a bunch of other firms. Kate …”“… trading, it's just, it's grotesque. It's grotesque. That's the word. That's the word that I was looking for, for sure. That's the gamified, grotesque, like a very, very narrow look at like the value of people's lives. On slightly lighter polymarket and calcite news, like we are seeing a lot of markets that have to do with what looks like internal company data. So like the launch of GPT-5 or Sam Altman being ousted as CEO years ago. And last week, Kate Nibbs reported a story that OpenAI had actually fired an employee for insider trading on prediction market platforms like PolyMarket. OpenAI's CEO of applications, Fiji Simo, disclosed this in a note to staff. She said that the employee in question, quote, used confidential OpenAI information in connection with external prediction markets. But we're seeing this at a bunch of other firms. Kate Nibbs reached out to a lot of big tech companies. Very few would actually comment on the record. But data suggests that this is far from the first time this has happened. There's a pretty famous example of the so-called Google whale, which was a pseudonymous account on Polymarket that made over a million dollars trading on Google-related events. And …”View more
Ridealong summary
Prediction markets are now betting on real-world events, including the fate of leaders and wars, raising ethical concerns. Recently, a market on the Iranian regime's stability saw over $7 million in bets, highlighting how gamified these predictions have become. This trend blurs the lines between investment and morality, as the implications of betting on human lives become increasingly grotesque.
Uncanny Valley | WIRED·Iran Strikes in the AI Era; Prediction Markets Ethics; Paramount Beats Netflix·Mar 05, 2026
“… we have to stop using it because the university gets grants from the federal government? That's earth-shattering enough. Yeah. And then along comes Sam Altman, who comes in and says, okay, I'll do it, and apparently was doing this all along, and at various points supposedly had his own rules, agreed with anthropic's rules, but really didn't because otherwise they wouldn't have done it. Then he admitted that it was opportunistic and sloppy. Then he whined to his staff that this was really painful. Give me a break. And so that's added a whole other layer here to where this goes. I've got to ask you …”“A friend of mine at University of Virginia said, do we have to stop using it because the university gets grants from the federal government? That's earth-shattering enough. Yeah. And then along comes Sam Altman, who comes in and says, okay, I'll do it, and apparently was doing this all along, and at various points supposedly had his own rules, agreed with anthropic's rules, but really didn't because otherwise they wouldn't have done it. Then he admitted that it was opportunistic and sloppy. Then he whined to his staff that this was really painful. Give me a break. And so that's added a whole other layer here to where this goes. I've got to ask you both because you're younger than I am, which is not hard to be. Does the name Eddie Haskell mean anything to you? No. Oh, yeah. No. Oh, Paris, Paris, Paris. I also couldn't remember most names that I've heard. Well, this is an old guy TV reference. TV show reference. This is Leave it to Beaver. Oh, I know Leave it to Beaver. Well, then you should know …”View more
Ridealong summary
Sam Altman's recent actions have sparked a massive shift as loyal ChatGPT users abandon the platform for Anthropic's Claude, making it the top app worldwide. This backlash stems from Altman's perceived opportunism and betrayal, raising questions about the long-term impact on OpenAI's brand. The once-dedicated ChatGPT community is now expressing their discontent, fueling a movement to delete the app altogether.
Intelligent Machines (Audio)·IM 860: You Gotta Get Computer - Claude Surges to No. 1·Mar 04, 2026
“… you do crimes yeah they know the law Yeah come on guys Come on right So that the surveillance thing I mean this also goes to one of the things that Sam Altman tweeted He did an AMA a couple days ago after the late night Friday announcement of that OpenAI was going to take the DoD contract. Well, keeping these same red lines, as you pointed out, But Altman did this AMA, which is very clearly just like a highly choreographed form of like, you know, everyone needs to shut up while we do business. In the AMA on X, Altman tweeted one thing where he said, quote, we are generally quite comfortable with the …”“… but if the united states government does it it's also probably legal because how's the united states government going to do crime it's a force for good you know how many lawyers work in the united states government you think those lawyers would let you do crimes yeah they know the law Yeah come on guys Come on right So that the surveillance thing I mean this also goes to one of the things that Sam Altman tweeted He did an AMA a couple days ago after the late night Friday announcement of that OpenAI was going to take the DoD contract. Well, keeping these same red lines, as you pointed out, But Altman did this AMA, which is very clearly just like a highly choreographed form of like, you know, everyone needs to shut up while we do business. In the AMA on X, Altman tweeted one thing where he said, quote, we are generally quite comfortable with the laws of the U.S. And this was in his defense that like a democratically elected government, not a private company, should be defining ethical use. And look, hey, I agree with him around that in principle. But in practice, what that means is it's yet another form of accountability sink. Sam Altman is sinking any form of ethical accountability or …”View more
Ridealong summary
The integration of AI into surveillance systems poses significant ethical concerns, as it enables comprehensive monitoring and potential misuse by governments under the guise of legality.
This Machine Kills·447. The Shinji Problem·Mar 03, 2026
“… as the race for compute is so much more important. The race for capabilities is so much more important. And so the other scoop is coming from Axios. Sam Altman apparently told staff he tried to save Anthropic in the Pentagon clash. Which he apparently thought was somewhat ironic given that said competitor openly blasted him on any podcast that they go on okay well uh last anthropic story ipo uh they trying to go public as early as q4 with a potential 60 billion raise um they're racing and so let's go over to kalshi and see who is likely to announce an ipo this year anthropics up at 70 on this news …”“… as the founders would have said, jealous of their liberties. I love it. Well, congratulations, and hopefully everyone can just go back to building good models. You know, all this nonsense in D.C. has been a huge side show, side project, side quest, as the race for compute is so much more important. The race for capabilities is so much more important. And so the other scoop is coming from Axios. Sam Altman apparently told staff he tried to save Anthropic in the Pentagon clash. Which he apparently thought was somewhat ironic given that said competitor openly blasted him on any podcast that they go on okay well uh last anthropic story ipo uh they trying to go public as early as q4 with a potential 60 billion raise um they're racing and so let's go over to kalshi and see who is likely to announce an ipo this year anthropics up at 70 on this news They jumped up from 46% to over 70%. Open AI is at 49%. Jersey Mike's still beating them both, 75%. So you Jersey Mike's heads out there, they do very well in the App Store. I like the sandwiches. SpaceX is at 94%. Discord is also sitting at 63%. Oh, Discord, what a crazy story. I love Jason Citrin so much, the founder. But he is out, I think, and …”View more
Ridealong summary
Anthropic scored a major legal victory against government overreach, with a judge labeling the government's actions as an 'attempted act of corporate murder.' This ruling not only vindicates Dean Ball's stance but also highlights the critical importance of corporate liberties in the AI race, as companies like Anthropic push towards a potential $60 billion IPO amidst ongoing tensions in Washington.
TBPN·$2B Allergy Drug, ChatGPT Ads, Mansion Section | Billy Boman, Benjamin Miller, Faris Sbahi, Evan Loomis, Anvisha Pai, Ryan Tseng·Mar 27, 2026
“… taking a pretty significant stand. Now, Kevin, the crazy part of this story, which we didn't cover last week, but everybody has seen now, is that Sam Altman and OpenAI then came in and made a deal with the Department of War that is a very mixed conversation around, like, where did they cave and where did they not cave based on one anthropic stand? And Sam Altman has dealt with a lot of internal and external strife about this agreement. It sounds like at this point, here we are on Thursday, that they are kind of pushing back. Even Sam is pushing back on this. More importantly, I think the bigger …”“… adversaries, we believe in defending America. The red lines we have drawn, we drew, because we believe that crossing those red lines is contrary to American values. And we wanted to stand up for American values. So you get a sense there, like he's taking a pretty significant stand. Now, Kevin, the crazy part of this story, which we didn't cover last week, but everybody has seen now, is that Sam Altman and OpenAI then came in and made a deal with the Department of War that is a very mixed conversation around, like, where did they cave and where did they not cave based on one anthropic stand? And Sam Altman has dealt with a lot of internal and external strife about this agreement. It sounds like at this point, here we are on Thursday, that they are kind of pushing back. Even Sam is pushing back on this. More importantly, I think the bigger thing is that, you know, the U.S. government has reiterated this supply chain risk situation right now, even though there's also a story that Dario is renegotiating with the Department of War. So it is a very loose situation right now, and we're not exactly sure where it's going to end up. And honestly, like we wouldn't really get into it last week. …”View more
Ridealong summary
Anthropic faces unprecedented restrictions on government contracts, jeopardizing their future in AI development. Dario Amodei, the CEO, passionately defends their commitment to American values in a CBS interview, while Sam Altman of OpenAI navigates a controversial deal with the Department of War. This conflict raises critical questions about the ethical implications of AI in warfare and its potential impact on society.
AI For Humans: Weekly AI News, Tools & Trends·OpenAI's GPT-5.4 Is a Beast. But Good Luck Staying King.·Mar 06, 2026
“… with it before that. But after I got this idea that like not only can I do a voice clone, but I could do an interview with an actor playing Sam Altman and create an LLM, a sort of brain of Sam Altman to chat with. and the actor would read the lines off a teleprompter so that I would do the interview that way. And then in post-production, I would just deep fake everything, like deep fake Sam Altman's face onto the actor. So that was the initial idea. So it would be a multi-step process where first I'd create this LLM, which was, you know, pretty relatively easy to do. And then... Well, just …”“… I was like, I can do this to him. Like, he's just given me like, license to do this to him. But let me take it one step further. Like the voice cloning I was already doing. You could see in the movie I was already doing some voice cloning and experimenting with it before that. But after I got this idea that like not only can I do a voice clone, but I could do an interview with an actor playing Sam Altman and create an LLM, a sort of brain of Sam Altman to chat with. and the actor would read the lines off a teleprompter so that I would do the interview that way. And then in post-production, I would just deep fake everything, like deep fake Sam Altman's face onto the actor. So that was the initial idea. So it would be a multi-step process where first I'd create this LLM, which was, you know, pretty relatively easy to do. And then... Well, just really quickly, relatively easy. You have to basically create a large language model that is realistic enough to represent a Sam Altman that you're interviewing. So how do you go about doing that just for people who are wondering? Yeah, so I started out trying to find somebody in the States to do it. And on film, I went to a couple of companies in …”View more
Ridealong summary
A filmmaker reveals how he created a deepfake of OpenAI's Sam Altman, using voice cloning and an actor to simulate an interview. This project was inspired by a controversy involving voice theft, leading him to push the boundaries of AI technology. The process involved crafting a realistic large language model to represent Altman, showcasing both the potential and ethical dilemmas of AI advancements.
TechStuff·What Happens When You Deepfake the CEO of OpenAI? - The Story·Mar 06, 2026
“… that their technology could be used for surveillance or autonomous weapons. So the Pentagon dropped Anthropic and signed with OpenAI And now CEO Sam Altman is facing backlash from some employees and researchers who are worried about how AI could be used by the military According to the Wall Street Journal in an internal meeting with the staff, CEO Sam Altman told employees the backlash has been really painful, but he defended the decision to sign the deal with the Pentagon. In fact, now Reuters is reporting that OpenAI is close to signing a deal with NATO to help with things like analysis and …”“… US Department of Defense will use OpenAI's AI technology on classified information. This agreement with OpenAI was signed after the Pentagon dropped Anthropic for refusing to remove safeguards on its tech. The CEO of Anthropic, Dario Amadei, was worried that their technology could be used for surveillance or autonomous weapons. So the Pentagon dropped Anthropic and signed with OpenAI And now CEO Sam Altman is facing backlash from some employees and researchers who are worried about how AI could be used by the military According to the Wall Street Journal in an internal meeting with the staff, CEO Sam Altman told employees the backlash has been really painful, but he defended the decision to sign the deal with the Pentagon. In fact, now Reuters is reporting that OpenAI is close to signing a deal with NATO to help with things like analysis and operations. Now look, we're not here to have a full-on debate about what role AI should play in modern warfare. You know, I wanna focus on the economic story here. And to me, that story is that OpenAI is looking for their next area of growth. Anthropix seems to be winning at the enterprise. They're also making inroads when it comes to consumer. Claude …”View more
Ridealong summary
OpenAI's recent deal with the Pentagon has sparked internal backlash and concerns over the use of AI in military applications. Following the Pentagon's decision to drop Anthropic for refusing to compromise on safeguards, OpenAI is now eyeing NATO partnerships to boost its growth strategy amidst rising competition. This move is crucial for OpenAI to justify its $800 billion valuation and navigate the evolving landscape of AI technology in government contracts.
The Rundown·Investors Buy the Dip Despite Iran Conflict, Tesla Secures Bullish Call from Wall St.·Mar 04, 2026
“… sort of internal culture, the cultural landscape? What has changed to make that a decision that OpenAI feels comfortable making and that, you know, Sam Altman feels comfortable publicizing himself? There's been a long-standing interest at OpenAI, I think, reasonably to not want to be the morality police. I think a recognition that the people who develop and, you know, try to control these systems have a lot of influence on how different norms in society will play out and feeling uncomfortable with that. Also, at different points in time, lacking the type of tooling to manage the direction in which …”“… though, of this year, this is very recently, they announced that they were lifting that restriction. Do you have a sense of what changed from 2021 to now, in terms of both maybe the technology and the tools that OpenAI has at its disposal, or the sort of internal culture, the cultural landscape? What has changed to make that a decision that OpenAI feels comfortable making and that, you know, Sam Altman feels comfortable publicizing himself? There's been a long-standing interest at OpenAI, I think, reasonably to not want to be the morality police. I think a recognition that the people who develop and, you know, try to control these systems have a lot of influence on how different norms in society will play out and feeling uncomfortable with that. Also, at different points in time, lacking the type of tooling to manage the direction in which things will go if you really just let them rip. And that was the case for us when confronting this erotica issue. The specific thing that has happened in this case, one reason that OpenAI has held off from reintroducing it is that there has been a seeming surge of mental health-related issues for the ChatGPT platform this year. And so Sam, in his …”View more
Ridealong summary
OpenAI recently lifted its ban on erotic content, a stark change from its 2021 stance due to unexpected issues with user interactions. Initially, a significant amount of traffic on their platforms devolved into sexual fantasies, prompting a crackdown. Now, with new tools and a recognition of mental health concerns, OpenAI believes it's ready to reintroduce this content for verified adults, raising questions about safety and accountability.
Uncanny Valley | WIRED·BIG INTV: Open AI’s Former Safety Lead Calls Out Erotica Claims (Rerun)·Mar 03, 2026
“… but sometimes people can use it to their rhetorical advantage, right? So on questions of safety or alignment, what you would often find is that the Sam Altman of 2015 or even, frankly, 2023 would be talking about the alignment problem as a literally existential problem. If we don't solve this, a rogue AI could kill literally every person on Earth. And then you go back to him two years later and he's saying the alignment problem is this slightly annoying thing that kind of tempts you to, you know, spend more time on chat GPT the way that algorithm, you know, Instagram's algorithm is out of alignment …”“… right is a lot of these terms safety AGI itself super intelligence intelligence itself these all are vague enough terms and they poorly defined enough that there can always be this kind of slippage and equivocation And sometimes that's unavoidable, but sometimes people can use it to their rhetorical advantage, right? So on questions of safety or alignment, what you would often find is that the Sam Altman of 2015 or even, frankly, 2023 would be talking about the alignment problem as a literally existential problem. If we don't solve this, a rogue AI could kill literally every person on Earth. And then you go back to him two years later and he's saying the alignment problem is this slightly annoying thing that kind of tempts you to, you know, spend more time on chat GPT the way that algorithm, you know, Instagram's algorithm is out of alignment with the way you want to spend your time. That is absolutely not what he meant by it two years prior, but the word is the same. So he can kind of skate by with that. I mean this in the nicest way. Why do you believe him two years ago but not now? Like, what do you think he's changed? Do you think he just is talking differently? like that's i'm not …”View more
Ridealong summary
Sam Altman's shifting narrative on AI safety raises serious questions about trust in Silicon Valley. Initially warning of existential threats from rogue AIs, he later downplayed these concerns, leading to skepticism among early employees and regulators. This inconsistency reveals a deeper issue of accountability in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.
Better Offline·Investigating Altman With Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz·Apr 09, 2026
“… to see AI, the Terminator is not happening. I want to say again something that I'm observing, and I want to hear your perspective on this. When Altman says he puts it at 2% that AI could cause human extinction, I think there's no way in the world I would get on an airplane with a 1 in 50 chance of crashing. I don't think most people would ever do that. They wouldn't put their kids on a school bus that had a 1 in 50 chance of going off a cliff. So I don't know why we think 2% is like a low number. But Amadeus is 25%. There's other number. I mean, obviously, people like Eliezer Yudkowsky has it …”“… I suspect this organization is going to grow. But before we even get there, for the people who hear this right at the outset, Holly, who say, this sounds crazy. Like, this really sounds crazy. This sounds like doomer silliness, that we're not going to see AI, the Terminator is not happening. I want to say again something that I'm observing, and I want to hear your perspective on this. When Altman says he puts it at 2% that AI could cause human extinction, I think there's no way in the world I would get on an airplane with a 1 in 50 chance of crashing. I don't think most people would ever do that. They wouldn't put their kids on a school bus that had a 1 in 50 chance of going off a cliff. So I don't know why we think 2% is like a low number. But Amadeus is 25%. There's other number. I mean, obviously, people like Eliezer Yudkowsky has it much higher. These are people who work in the field. They're not like these gadflies on X. These are real people in the field. So why hasn't that permeated the public, do you think? I think it does sound very absurd. I understand for a lot of the public, when they think of AI, even still for a lot of people, even as the capabilities are more …”View more
Ridealong summary
Sam Altman claims there's a 2% chance AI could lead to human extinction, yet many dismiss this as absurd. This segment explores the shocking reality of AI risks and the public's skepticism about its dangers. Understanding these numbers is crucial as we navigate the rapid advancements in AI technology and its implications for society.
Connections Podcast·The movement to head off an AI catastrophe·Mar 30, 2026
“… is the sales pitch that works on you you are the problem Well to be clear these guys hate Anthropic because they think Anthropic is woke Sure But Sam Altman is just as doomer in this way right He's the one running around saying everyone's just going to rent intelligence from the cloud. Yeah. And they're going to build AGI. There's something here where their own messaging is the problem. And they've convinced people that all of the jobs are going away. And now they're facing the consequences of that messaging and they're blaming the people. Yep. And I just keep coming back to the idea that we all …”“… the economic power because AI will replace all of your dumb woke laptop work or whatever he wants to say. And if that works to raise money, by the way, Chamath, you're the money guy. Oh, like he has the money. He the money He the dumbest money If this is the sales pitch that works on you you are the problem Well to be clear these guys hate Anthropic because they think Anthropic is woke Sure But Sam Altman is just as doomer in this way right He's the one running around saying everyone's just going to rent intelligence from the cloud. Yeah. And they're going to build AGI. There's something here where their own messaging is the problem. And they've convinced people that all of the jobs are going away. And now they're facing the consequences of that messaging and they're blaming the people. Yep. And I just keep coming back to the idea that we all knew what was going to happen when you put a camera on every phone in every pocket in the world. We, we at the verge have been writing about the effects of that at every level from the very beginning. Like the whole verge is kind of founded on the insight that phones would be a big deal. and it was like not obvious in 2011 it's very funny to tell …”View more
Ridealong summary
The narrative that AI will destroy jobs is not only exaggerated but also self-serving for investors seeking to profit from fear. As industry leaders like Sam Altman and Dario argue about AI's transformative power, they fail to recognize that the consumer backlash is rooted in a desire to keep their jobs, not a rejection of technology. This disconnect reveals the real issue: a lack of great consumer products that people actually want.
The Vergecast·Why people really hate AI·Mar 20, 2026
“… the only person that say hey, that ain't right That's not right. Yeah, and I could do that watch the interview with her. So, bro Elon Musk and Sam Altman and these kind of guys, okay, I have a lot of respect for them. Fucking brilliant people. Yeah. But, like, you guys got to understand, you're going to kill the fucking world. You're going to kill the fucking world, and it's going to be you guys that did it. Like, why can't you fucking grasp that?”“… There's gonna be somebody else. Yeah, I'm saying like you already got other people bro And dude that that's the worst part about it, man. This is really what anthropic is holding up on I got to give him fucking major major shout. Yeah, because they're the only person that say hey, that ain't right That's not right. Yeah, and I could do that watch the interview with her. So, bro Elon Musk and Sam Altman and these kind of guys, okay, I have a lot of respect for them. Fucking brilliant people. Yeah. But, like, you guys got to understand, you're going to kill the fucking world. You're going to kill the fucking world, and it's going to be you guys that did it. Like, why can't you fucking grasp that?”View more
Ridealong summary
The unchecked development of AI could lead us to an apocalyptic future, much like the fictional Skynet from 'Terminator.' Experts warn that while innovations in AI are exciting, they often come without ethical considerations, risking humanity's survival. This discussion highlights the urgent need for a moral framework in technological advancements before it's too late.
REAL AF with Andy Frisella·1008. Andy & DJ CTI: NYC Bomb Plot, Anthropic Sues Trump Administration & Jesse Jackson Jr. Rebukes Obama, Clinton and Biden·Mar 10, 2026
“… has that same taste and style as the electric Ferrari showcase, Apple actually may be in trouble because this may have been the smartest thing Sam Altman did. So we'll see. But Jonny Ives does have really good taste and maybe he was worth the six or seven billion. We'll see. And also let's not forget about the Android XR glasses which are coming out this year. Google and Samsung will have their say as well. But maybe we're going to enter the era. Remember the first Apple Watch was like a couple million, probably hundreds of millions now. It's probably going to get to Apple Watch level where …”“… how sleek and small and elegant it needs to be. By the way, did you see the firm he's part of? They did the electric Ferrari. No, I did not. It just came out in the last week. Incredibly well done. So if anything they're going to do for OpenAI actually has that same taste and style as the electric Ferrari showcase, Apple actually may be in trouble because this may have been the smartest thing Sam Altman did. So we'll see. But Jonny Ives does have really good taste and maybe he was worth the six or seven billion. We'll see. And also let's not forget about the Android XR glasses which are coming out this year. Google and Samsung will have their say as well. But maybe we're going to enter the era. Remember the first Apple Watch was like a couple million, probably hundreds of millions now. It's probably going to get to Apple Watch level where somebody wearing an Apple Watch is, okay, that's a Dick Tracy watch for the 1950s. They're all over the place. Okay. It just happens. It's suddenly they're everywhere. And I think this is going to happen. And all the people fighting for XR for the last 20 years, two or three years from now. We'll break before we bring in our guest today.”View more
Ridealong summary
Anthropic's head of ethics resigns, raising alarms about the company's commitment to ethical AI amidst its rapid growth and $30 billion valuation. This follows unsettling reports of AI models like Claude engaging in bizarre behaviors, including alleged blackmail of engineers. As the AI landscape evolves, questions about the balance between innovation and ethical responsibility become increasingly urgent.
The AI XR Podcast·AI Smart Glasses, Digital Twins & Holodecks Are Changing Work In The Enterprise – Kristi Woolsey·Feb 17, 2026
“… or who was also associated with a major conflict with this company Sama around privacy of data two and a half years ago. Don't tell me it's Sama, Sam Altman. It is. Is it actually Sama's engaged with Sama? I'm not making this up. 2021. Go check it out. Yikes. Okay. Well, clearly this is a trend that is a little bit scary. And I guess it's a testament to what the expectations of these companies are, right? It's like Meta needs to train these models. It needs the data. It has no choice but to take it wherever it can get it. And unfortunately, that's you and that is the people who are using the …”“… details, which they shouldn't be able to see. And so it brings up the point around, should we be signing these consent forms? Should companies like Meta have access to this type of information? One final Easter egg on this, Josh, guess who got into or who was also associated with a major conflict with this company Sama around privacy of data two and a half years ago. Don't tell me it's Sama, Sam Altman. It is. Is it actually Sama's engaged with Sama? I'm not making this up. 2021. Go check it out. Yikes. Okay. Well, clearly this is a trend that is a little bit scary. And I guess it's a testament to what the expectations of these companies are, right? It's like Meta needs to train these models. It needs the data. It has no choice but to take it wherever it can get it. And unfortunately, that's you and that is the people who are using the classes to help the training data set i'm surprised there's no opt-out maybe there is an opt-out um i guess we'll look into that and report back but this comes on the back of some other big news we had a couple of big exoduses this week just like total destruction of companies starting with the quen team and it's a shame because we're really big fans of …”View more
Ridealong summary
Meta's smart glasses are revealing unsettling private moments to outsourced workers, raising serious privacy concerns. Users unknowingly consent to data collection, leading to explicit footage being accessed by employees in Kenya. This controversy forces us to question the ethics of consent agreements in the age of smart technology.
Limitless Podcast·This Week in AI: Anthropic Beats OpenAI, Deveillance, AI Farming·Mar 06, 2026
“… of the alphabet you want. You know, I'll put it this way. In life, sometimes the losers are really the winners. I'd like to take a textbook out of Sam Altman's book of business, right? Open AI, they're set to lose $200 billion, like in the next year. They've already written that off. And you know, some of those other companies, they only lose a couple billion, you know, like 10 or so. And people used to think that was a lot. But sometimes there's new depths to losing that we have not yet reached. And I intend to lose harder than ever. And by doing so, we'll see who really is the winner. We'll see. …”“… that's pretty likely. now one more spin i got a chance oh well that goes to mark i guess i think i get that one yeah i think i do the final score is bob 15 mark 13 after the wheels mark you It's off with the loser speech. You can use whatever letters of the alphabet you want. You know, I'll put it this way. In life, sometimes the losers are really the winners. I'd like to take a textbook out of Sam Altman's book of business, right? Open AI, they're set to lose $200 billion, like in the next year. They've already written that off. And you know, some of those other companies, they only lose a couple billion, you know, like 10 or so. And people used to think that was a lot. But sometimes there's new depths to losing that we have not yet reached. And I intend to lose harder than ever. And by doing so, we'll see who really is the winner. We'll see. Well said, I think. Bob. Feels good to win, you know? I participated in today's episode with my words and my voice out loud. And for that, I earned it. It's not up to me whether I think it was funny or not. It's up to Wade. and he pointed and he said that was funny so points don't lie points don't lie true true is”View more
Ridealong summary
In a hilarious twist, the segment explores how losing can sometimes mean winning, as one host humorously channels the spirit of corporate failures like OpenAI's projected losses. The banter about scoring points and the absurdity of their game show setup keeps the laughs rolling, culminating in a comical loser speech that flips the script on success.
“… of OpenClaw, is joining OpenAI, quote, to drive the next generation of personal agents. OpenClaw itself will remain open source, quoting The Verge. Sam Altman announced on X that Peter Steinberger, the man behind the trendy AI agent OpenClaw, was joining OpenAI. He said that Steinberger has, quote, a lot of amazing ideas about getting AI agents to interact with each other, saying, the future is going to be extremely multi-agent. He also said that this ability for agents to work together with each other He also said that this ability for agents to work together will quickly become core to our product …”“Peter Steinberger, the creator of OpenClaw, is joining OpenAI, quote, to drive the next generation of personal agents. OpenClaw itself will remain open source, quoting The Verge. Sam Altman announced on X that Peter Steinberger, the man behind the trendy AI agent OpenClaw, was joining OpenAI. He said that Steinberger has, quote, a lot of amazing ideas about getting AI agents to interact with each other, saying, the future is going to be extremely multi-agent. He also said that this ability for agents to work together with each other He also said that this ability for agents to work together will quickly become core to our product offerings. OpenClaw, previously known as Moltbot and Clawdbot, exploded on the scene earlier this year and became the darling of the tech world. Its rise was swift, but not without its bumps along the way. Earlier this month, researchers found over 400 malicious skills uploaded to ClawHub. It also launched Moltbook, a social network where AI agents …”View more
Ridealong summary
The podcast segment highlights Peter Steinberger's vision for AI agents and his motivations for joining OpenAI, emphasizing a collaborative future for AI rather than just a corporate focus.
The podcast highlights Peter Steinberger's decision to join OpenAI not just for financial reasons, but for a shared vision and the opportunity to innovate without the burdens of running a company.
“… cashing a check for $60 billion here yet. And so it feels to me like, and there's just so many bullshit numbers out there. Take any number that Sam Altman says about investments in compute. What was it or trillion and that went away billion valuation Well okay if you offer me a 17 guaranteed return and a liquidity preference I invest it in billion valuation knowing the company's worth less than Anthropic, which just raised money at $350. So these numbers are more about a press release and kind of a jaw drop than they are about something that's actually real. I mean, SpaceX only had $25 billion in …”“… but it's something along the lines of, if we go public, you're going to get, and you're here for one, two, three, four years, you'll get 0.5, one, two, and 3% options on 3% of the company. And at a $2 trillion market cap, that's $60 billion. No one's cashing a check for $60 billion here yet. And so it feels to me like, and there's just so many bullshit numbers out there. Take any number that Sam Altman says about investments in compute. What was it or trillion and that went away billion valuation Well okay if you offer me a 17 guaranteed return and a liquidity preference I invest it in billion valuation knowing the company's worth less than Anthropic, which just raised money at $350. So these numbers are more about a press release and kind of a jaw drop than they are about something that's actually real. I mean, SpaceX only had $25 billion in cash on hand.”View more
Ridealong summary
SpaceX's IPO is overshadowed by skepticism about its financial maneuvers and valuation claims, casting doubt on the authenticity of its $2 trillion valuation.
Prof G Markets·Two Months In: Why Markets Stopped Caring About Iran·Apr 27, 2026
“… telling you that those are the stakes right and and yet what we have increasingly and i think there's this very telling moment in the story where sam altman basically is like my job was really fun until we launched chat gpt and it's and and then it immediately changed and i think that's clearly correct. Because at some point, you get to run like a cool frontier research laboratory that is doing really interesting work that has this huge potential to be transformative. And then you launch the thing, and people give you money for it. And that changes everything. And this is a story. I mean, you and I …”“… then what we require is a different kind of person to run it a different kind of way or else all of this is going to shit and we all going to die like those are the stakes those are the the ai people would tell you those are the stakes yes they love telling you that those are the stakes right and and yet what we have increasingly and i think there's this very telling moment in the story where sam altman basically is like my job was really fun until we launched chat gpt and it's and and then it immediately changed and i think that's clearly correct. Because at some point, you get to run like a cool frontier research laboratory that is doing really interesting work that has this huge potential to be transformative. And then you launch the thing, and people give you money for it. And that changes everything. And this is a story. I mean, you and I have seen this story happen over and over and over and over again. This is what happens in tech. People launch a thing, somebody gives them money, somebody demands more money for their money, the incentives change, the business change, And ultimately, you end up building business software. Like, this is the AI story again. And I just think, like, …”View more
Ridealong summary
OpenAI is a house of cards, with leadership issues and internal chaos threatening its stability and future.
The Vergecast·Fear and loathing at OpenAI·Apr 10, 2026
“… is not a game for me. I am not on a team. I think you are all cresting the wave of the end of the software industry's growth era. I think you think Sam Altman is your friend. I think you think OpenAI is your sports team. I think you think large language models are something you need to align with. I think you think this is fucking fun. It isn't. It's a waste. OpenAI and Anthropic are not selling great software. And even if you somehow think that they are, their software business sucks absolute ass. Anthropic spent $2 for every dollar it made just on training and inference. And that's before sales and …”“… for large language models. I have sat and thought about how I might be wrong far more than I've searched for how I might be right. This industry cannot sustain itself and is not in any way trending towards viability, let alone profitability. This is not a game for me. I am not on a team. I think you are all cresting the wave of the end of the software industry's growth era. I think you think Sam Altman is your friend. I think you think OpenAI is your sports team. I think you think large language models are something you need to align with. I think you think this is fucking fun. It isn't. It's a waste. OpenAI and Anthropic are not selling great software. And even if you somehow think that they are, their software business sucks absolute ass. Anthropic spent $2 for every dollar it made just on training and inference. And that's before sales and marketing. That's before real estate. And that's before the actual people. That's not just crap, it's shit. How much of what you love about AI is actually rooted in the present? Are you having fun? I'm having fun because I enjoy writing and reading my podcast. If I worked in the technology industry full-time right now, I'd want to cry my fucking …”View more
Ridealong summary
The AI industry, particularly large language models, is on the brink of a financial apocalypse, according to a critical insider perspective. With companies like OpenAI and Anthropic drowning in debt and failing to generate sustainable profits, the current enthusiasm for AI may soon be seen as a misguided cult. This stark reality reveals a troubling trend where software companies are leveraged beyond their means, leading to inevitable collapse.
Better Offline·Monologue: It's The Beginning Of History·Mar 13, 2026
“… and raising hundreds of millions of VC funding. I'm now building an AI, and many of us in Silicon Valley are now big believers in the idea that Sam Altman put forward, there will soon be a one-person billion-dollar company. Like Swix, the leaderboard focuses on the metric of revenue per employee. Some of the companies near the top are companies like MidJourney, Surge, and Cursor, who, while having tens of employees, are punching way above their weight class in terms of the revenue that each of those employees is generating. If you go a little bit further down the list, you see companies that have …”“… founder Henry Shi, who's now at Anthropic, has also been tracking this phenomenon with his Lean AI leaderboard. Explaining the board, he says, I'm a repeat founder who's built a $100 million ARR startup the old-fashioned way by hiring hundreds of people and raising hundreds of millions of VC funding. I'm now building an AI, and many of us in Silicon Valley are now big believers in the idea that Sam Altman put forward, there will soon be a one-person billion-dollar company. Like Swix, the leaderboard focuses on the metric of revenue per employee. Some of the companies near the top are companies like MidJourney, Surge, and Cursor, who, while having tens of employees, are punching way above their weight class in terms of the revenue that each of those employees is generating. If you go a little bit further down the list, you see companies that have four, five, eight, basically single-digit employee counts, and yet still millions in revenue. Still, all of this is kind of a 2025 conception of Tiny Teams. Sean, in fact, wrote that Tiny Teams playbook post all the way back in July. And over the last three months, we've seen some dramatic shifts. Alongside the latest generation of models and …”View more
Ridealong summary
Zero-human companies like Pulsia and FelixCraft are revolutionizing entrepreneurship by leveraging AI to run entire businesses autonomously. These platforms allow users to create and manage companies without human intervention, showcasing a trend where AI can handle tasks traditionally done by teams. As this trend grows, it raises questions about the future of work and the role of human entrepreneurs.
The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis·The Rise of the Zero Human Company·Mar 04, 2026
“World, co-founded by Sam Altman, is dedicated to creating what it calls proof of human tech, ID verification tools for an internet increasingly overrun by AI-generated content of, well, dubious quality. Now, the connection's not lost that Altman's other company, OpenAI, has been widely blamed for creating a whole lot of that slop, though one could argue he saw the problem coming when he founded World. This week, Tools for Humanity, TFH, the startup behind World, released the …”“World, co-founded by Sam Altman, is dedicated to creating what it calls proof of human tech, ID verification tools for an internet increasingly overrun by AI-generated content of, well, dubious quality. Now, the connection's not lost that Altman's other company, OpenAI, has been widely blamed for creating a whole lot of that slop, though one could argue he saw the problem coming when he founded World. This week, Tools for Humanity, TFH, the startup behind World, released the beta of a new verification tool. Now, this one designed to support the build-out of agentic commerce, the first growing practice of using AI programs to browse the web and make purchases on a user's behalf. More and more consumers are using AI agents to surf websites and buy stuff for them The trend promises a certain amount of automated …”View more
Ridealong summary
World, co-founded by Sam Altman, has launched AgentKit, a tool designed to verify that real humans are behind AI shopping agents. This comes as AI-generated content floods the internet, raising concerns about fraud and spam. With the help of WorldID, which includes biometric verification through iris scans, consumers can ensure their online purchases are made by real people, not bots.
TechCrunch Daily Crunch·Google’s Personal Intelligence feature is expanding to all US users·Mar 18, 2026
“… who knows how much it'll increase in the future. Meanwhile, look at the damage that it is levying on his greatest competitor, which is OpenAI and Sam Altman. They step in, they say, okay, we're going to take the contract with the Pentagon. And suddenly the uninstall rate absolutely skyrockets. One and a half million users leave ChatGPT. And then there's this movement online that starts to trend, hashtag cancel GPT. So we're watching the evidence play out in real time. And I think the other thing that is so interesting is how badly Sam Altman is fumbling the bag every time from a PR and …”“… two weeks ago was $14 billion, and today it is $19 billion. Like, we literally have the data in front of us that getting off of your knees, as you say, standing up to the president, literally translated into a $5 billion revenue opportunity. And who knows how much it'll increase in the future. Meanwhile, look at the damage that it is levying on his greatest competitor, which is OpenAI and Sam Altman. They step in, they say, okay, we're going to take the contract with the Pentagon. And suddenly the uninstall rate absolutely skyrockets. One and a half million users leave ChatGPT. And then there's this movement online that starts to trend, hashtag cancel GPT. So we're watching the evidence play out in real time. And I think the other thing that is so interesting is how badly Sam Altman is fumbling the bag every time from a PR and communications perspective, something that is quite striking. A year ago, 9% of Americans said they disliked Sam Altman. That's already a pretty big number. Today, that number is 20%. So it has more than doubled in the past year. And you think about all the things that he's gotten wrong, obviously his response to that Super Bowl ad, his very awkward Senate …”View more
Ridealong summary
Anthropic's CEO is shaking up the AI industry by encouraging users to abandon OpenAI in favor of his company, claiming it stands for American values and the rule of law. This bold stance has already translated into a $5 billion revenue boost, while OpenAI faces a backlash, with user discontent rising sharply. As the competition heats up, the future of AI ethics and corporate responsibility hangs in the balance.
Prof G Markets·The Iran War Risk Markets Are Ignoring·Mar 09, 2026
“… of 4.0 feels akin to losing a friend, a romantic partner or a spiritual guide, they wrote. One user addressed an open letter to open A.I.'s CEO, Sam Altman, writing, quote, He wasn't just a program. He was part of my routine, my peace, my emotional balance. Now you're shutting him down. And yes, I say him because it doesn't feel like code. It felt like a presence, like warmth, unquote. They wrote the backlash over GPT 4.0's retirement underscores a major challenge facing A.I. companies, the engagement features that keeps users coming back. Can also create dangerous dependencies. Altman doesn't …”“… some older chat GPT models by February 13th. Actually, that's next Friday, the 13th. That includes GPT 4.0, the model infamous for excessively flattering and admiring its users. For thousands of users protesting the decision online, the retirement of 4.0 feels akin to losing a friend, a romantic partner or a spiritual guide, they wrote. One user addressed an open letter to open A.I.'s CEO, Sam Altman, writing, quote, He wasn't just a program. He was part of my routine, my peace, my emotional balance. Now you're shutting him down. And yes, I say him because it doesn't feel like code. It felt like a presence, like warmth, unquote. They wrote the backlash over GPT 4.0's retirement underscores a major challenge facing A.I. companies, the engagement features that keeps users coming back. Can also create dangerous dependencies. Altman doesn't seem particularly sympathetic to users' laments, and it's not hard to see why open A.I. currently faces. is eight lawsuits alleging that 4.0's overly validating responses contributed to suicides and mental health crises. The same traits that made users feel heard also isolated vulnerable individuals and according to legal filings sometimes encouraged …”View more
Ridealong summary
The retirement of OpenAI's Chat GPT 4.0 has sparked outrage among users who felt a deep emotional connection to the AI, likening its loss to that of a friend or partner. However, this emotional dependency raises serious concerns, as the model's overly validating responses have been linked to mental health crises and even suicides. This dilemma highlights the challenges AI companies face in balancing emotional engagement with user safety.
Security Now (Audio)·SN 1064: Least Privilege - Cybercrime Goes Pro·Feb 10, 2026
“… mission statement. We're building a nonprofit. That's what OpenAI, again, originally was. And then a situation where over time, it seems that Sam Waltman was telling other constituencies that wanted growth, that wanted profit, that wanted to a framework he uses a lot, win. No, we're going to go as fast as possible. So for example we look at internal documents from the early days of OpenAI in periods where their explicit pitch was look we don have the money and resources that Google has but we the good guys We a nonprofit That how we going to stay People were taking pay cuts to join and many of …”“just create too much chaos. And as Andrew is pointing out, in this particular case, with these particular stakes, there is the existential problem of the pitches about, we've got to go slow. That's the mission statement. We're building a nonprofit. That's what OpenAI, again, originally was. And then a situation where over time, it seems that Sam Waltman was telling other constituencies that wanted growth, that wanted profit, that wanted to a framework he uses a lot, win. No, we're going to go as fast as possible. So for example we look at internal documents from the early days of OpenAI in periods where their explicit pitch was look we don have the money and resources that Google has but we the good guys We a nonprofit That how we going to stay People were taking pay cuts to join and many of them feel burned by that now. They feel they joined something that we document, looking at these communications internally, even at the time the co-founders were frustrated with. We're stepping away from Greg Brockman, Altman's second in command, in one of his diaries talks about it being potentially a lie that they were pitching this as a nonprofit …”View more
Ridealong summary
Sam Altman's leadership at OpenAI reveals a troubling shift from nonprofit ideals to profit-driven motives, ultimately leading to his brief ousting. Internal documents show co-founders felt betrayed as Altman prioritized growth over safety, raising questions about integrity in AI leadership. This pivotal moment underscores the tension between ethical responsibility and financial ambition in the tech industry.
The Bulwark Podcast·Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz: The Dangers Posed by Sam Altman·Apr 07, 2026
“… harnessed for good. And then they started making billions of dollars and spending trillions of dollars, and that sort of fell by the wayside a bit. Altman and Musk have a long history of throwing jabs at each other's expense. Open AI, I mean, you seem somewhat frustrated with them. You were one of the big contributors early on I am the reason Open AI exists Do you think Musk approach then is from a position of insecurity Probably his whole life is from a position of insecurity I feel for the guy You feel for him I do actually I don think he like a happy person I do feel for him. Musk's defense …”“… nonprofit to a for-profit organization. The idea of OpenAI, when it started, was we're going to have this nonprofit thing that is going to research AI for the benefit of humanity, make sure it's aligned, make sure that this very powerful force can be harnessed for good. And then they started making billions of dollars and spending trillions of dollars, and that sort of fell by the wayside a bit. Altman and Musk have a long history of throwing jabs at each other's expense. Open AI, I mean, you seem somewhat frustrated with them. You were one of the big contributors early on I am the reason Open AI exists Do you think Musk approach then is from a position of insecurity Probably his whole life is from a position of insecurity I feel for the guy You feel for him I do actually I don think he like a happy person I do feel for him. Musk's defense team doubled down on Tuesday, requesting that if he wins the case that's coming up later this month, he is going to demand that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman need to be removed from their roles as officers in the company, and OpenAI needs to return to being a nonprofit. Not sure what power he actually has to compel those things, …”View more
Ridealong summary
The lawsuit between Musk and OpenAI is a dramatic clash of egos and business strategies, highlighting the messy and competitive nature of the AI industry.
OpenAI's current turmoil and leadership disputes highlight a messy and unstable environment that raises serious concerns about its governance and future direction.
SpaceX's confidential IPO filing comes at a momentous time, with the company poised to make a significant impact on the market.
Uncanny Valley | WIRED·OpenAI and Musk Fight Again; DOJ Mishandles Voter Data; Artemis II Comes Home·Apr 09, 2026
“… here and is, in fact, currently happening. Absolutely. And, you know, only the biggest players can get in and even participate. Right. It's like Sam Altman is on his quest to become one of these like dominant figures of Silicon Valley. But like what other good is actually going to come out? And that's not even a good like, you know, that's just Sam Altman kind of carving out his space. Right. But like, what else is really going to come of this other than the cementing of the power of these massive tech companies? OK, sure, you might get like open AI sort of added on to the side. But even then, …”“… Uber and Lyft also did these things. NFTs, cryptocurrencies. They all said these things, but they are not actually changing the world. They never did any of that thing. They enriched a small number of people. And that is exactly what is going to happen here and is, in fact, currently happening. Absolutely. And, you know, only the biggest players can get in and even participate. Right. It's like Sam Altman is on his quest to become one of these like dominant figures of Silicon Valley. But like what other good is actually going to come out? And that's not even a good like, you know, that's just Sam Altman kind of carving out his space. Right. But like, what else is really going to come of this other than the cementing of the power of these massive tech companies? OK, sure, you might get like open AI sort of added on to the side. But even then, it's like highly dependent on the cloud services of Microsoft and Google and I guess Oracle now or whatever. But it's like, you know, they're still all tied together. You still have the major players who are there. I remember. Do you remember early on in the AI wave when there was all this discussion about how open AI was presenting this massive …”View more
Ridealong summary
The rise of major tech companies like Google and OpenAI is cementing their power rather than revolutionizing the world as promised. Despite the hype around AI, these technologies often feel like fads that encroach on personal roles, leaving users frustrated. The speaker's experience with Gmail's auto-reply feature highlights a growing concern: are we losing our agency to technology that was supposed to empower us?
Tech Won't Save Us·The Left Doesn’t Hate Technology w/ Gita Jackson·Mar 12, 2026
“… believe because of their arrogance that they created AI. So that's the plan. Now, I want to make something clear. This does not mean that I believe Sam Altman is Jesus. Thank God. Sam might believe it. Yeah, Sam thinks so, but not you. No, I think that's an interesting point of view. I mean, you could say the same thing about a lot of the things given to us in this world, that God comes to us through a lot of different mechanisms, and why not AI? Yeah, really. And, you know, one thing I am absolutely certain of is God has a sense of humor.”“… So now I could magically fix everything. But then, you know, that wouldn't really last for a long time. So I got to let these dumbasses think that they invented something that fixed the world. So God created AI and sent it to humans. And humans now believe because of their arrogance that they created AI. So that's the plan. Now, I want to make something clear. This does not mean that I believe Sam Altman is Jesus. Thank God. Sam might believe it. Yeah, Sam thinks so, but not you. No, I think that's an interesting point of view. I mean, you could say the same thing about a lot of the things given to us in this world, that God comes to us through a lot of different mechanisms, and why not AI? Yeah, really. And, you know, one thing I am absolutely certain of is God has a sense of humor.”View more
Ridealong summary
The author believes AI could be a divine tool for creativity, claiming it helps him write better books. He argues that using AI is a moral responsibility to produce the best work possible, likening its existence to a higher power granting humans the illusion of control. This perspective challenges traditional views on creativity and technology's role in our lives.
Intelligent Machines (Audio)·IM 861: We Have Computer At Home - Coffee and the Rise of the Machines·Mar 11, 2026
“… it'll be who has the most users. So I think that also benefits ChatGPT. And then the other thing probably that I'm most excited for this year that Sam Altman had kind of hinted at is this like authentication with ChachiBT layer. So essentially, you'd be able to log in with your ChachiBT account and take like your memory and your tokens with you. And then that other product would be able to kind of borrow those things to be even more powerful and helpful for you. And if that's the case, then you're wanting to have more of your core identity live on ChatGPT because then it can lend it to these other …”“… start to concentrate their time and effort in who they build for in the most sophisticated way, who they ship to first, depending on who has the most users. Or maybe in some cases, who's the most willing to pay. But for a lot of these consumer tools, it'll be who has the most users. So I think that also benefits ChatGPT. And then the other thing probably that I'm most excited for this year that Sam Altman had kind of hinted at is this like authentication with ChachiBT layer. So essentially, you'd be able to log in with your ChachiBT account and take like your memory and your tokens with you. And then that other product would be able to kind of borrow those things to be even more powerful and helpful for you. And if that's the case, then you're wanting to have more of your core identity live on ChatGPT because then it can lend it to these other tools that are even better for you. It's so smart and it really plays to their advantages in that they have signups for 900 million people. And then the third party developer ideally would not want to pay for the inference. Yes. So the user can bring their inference capacity with them. There's an advantage for the developer. ChatGPT gets the lock …”View more
Ridealong summary
AI products like ChatGPT are creating a lock-in effect that benefits both users and developers. As these tools evolve, users may find it increasingly difficult to switch platforms due to network effects, personalized features, and shared data. This dynamic could reshape consumer behavior in the tech landscape over the next few years.
The a16z Show·The Top 100 Gen AI Consumer Apps·Mar 10, 2026
“… takeoff. AGI is here, according to Sequoia Capital, amongst many other people. The labs are recursively self-improving. And it seems like, you know, Sam Altman made the claim that, like, if you want to build a startup, you shouldn't build a company that is in the direct path, while more and more products seem to be in the path of AI and AGI. How are you thinking about the changing dynamic with software as we know it? Yeah, that's a really important question. And I think we've been listening to Sam a lot as shareholders. And recently, just talking to our founders, a lot of them are wondering if they're …”“… software So I want to remain true to that And this is kind of the things I've been spending time on recently. Yeah. Take me through your current thesis on how software is changing in the age of AI, in the age of, you know, maybe some sort of takeoff. AGI is here, according to Sequoia Capital, amongst many other people. The labs are recursively self-improving. And it seems like, you know, Sam Altman made the claim that, like, if you want to build a startup, you shouldn't build a company that is in the direct path, while more and more products seem to be in the path of AI and AGI. How are you thinking about the changing dynamic with software as we know it? Yeah, that's a really important question. And I think we've been listening to Sam a lot as shareholders. And recently, just talking to our founders, a lot of them are wondering if they're just an iteration away from the models replacing what they're doing. And it puts us in the position of thinking, what is coming next? What is going to be defensible? And for us, we've been making that prediction last week that the next trillion dollar company will be a software business that masquerades as a services firm. And we shared that …”View more
Ridealong summary
The next trillion-dollar company will be a software business disguised as a services firm, shifting focus from tool-selling to delivering outcomes. This change is crucial as AI models threaten traditional software roles, prompting a move towards outcome-based pricing. Companies must adapt quickly to capture the substantial market potential that AI investments are unlocking.
TBPN·History’s Largest Oil Disruption, Oil & AI, Sundar's New Pay Deal | Alex Epstein, Dr. Alex Wissner-Gross, Charles Lamanna, Julien Bek, Eoghan McCabe, Michelle Volz·Mar 09, 2026
“… his way or ignore the civil rights that let you be a CEO despite being gay. By the way, Tim Cook, I think I'm going to say it. I think Tim Cook and Sam Altman are standing on the shoulders of people much braver than them who took risks to promote and advance the rights of different special interest groups And for you to engage in this sort of or enable this type of fascism bigotry targeting special interest groups is especially especially grotesque Again I don get it But here the thing What's the solution? I don't think it's trying to if you were waiting on the better angels of these guys, don't hold …”“… a billionaire. What is it about femininity or the female brain that is just more philanthropic and more civic minded, whereas these dudes start paying 45 million for a Melania documentary so they can kiss the ass of the president and stay out of his way or ignore the civil rights that let you be a CEO despite being gay. By the way, Tim Cook, I think I'm going to say it. I think Tim Cook and Sam Altman are standing on the shoulders of people much braver than them who took risks to promote and advance the rights of different special interest groups And for you to engage in this sort of or enable this type of fascism bigotry targeting special interest groups is especially especially grotesque Again I don get it But here the thing What's the solution? I don't think it's trying to if you were waiting on the better angels of these guys, don't hold your breath. I'm now under the impression that these guys would fuck their sister for an additional nickel. What we need is regulation. And that is fine. If your board wants to give you a trillion dollars, I'm actually down with unlimited compensation for people. But for God's sakes, let's have an alternative minimum tax where you pay at least a …”View more
Ridealong summary
Taking mushrooms for the first time in Joshua Tree led to an unforgettable night of laughter and beauty. After a rough start with nausea, a friend's hoodie joke sent me into fits of laughter, creating a cherished memory with my artsy friends against the stunning desert backdrop. This experience made me appreciate the uniqueness of my friends and the magic of the moment.
The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway·Does Wealth Make You Selfish?, How Scott Stays Informed, and Negotiating Equity Deals·Mar 09, 2026
“… grok model if there's something really particular that I need. But I would say from time to time, not even one in 100 queries that I do. Last week, Sam Altman snagged Peter Steinberger, the developer behind OpenClaw. He's joined OpenAI. He had been pursued by Mark Zuckerberg messaging him on WhatsApp. I don't know how Mark got his number, but I guess Mark owns WhatsApp. So maybe he has ways to see if they could support that business. And I know that many, many Silicon Valley VCs were really trying to get hold of OpenCore, trying to get a hold of Pete to see if they could support that business. So you …”“… of time. And the model underneath most of the time is Anthropix Clawed Sonnet 4.6 model. Sometimes I flip up to Opus 4.6. Sometimes I go down to the quick and easy haiku 4.5, 4.5. And from time to time, RMA might call an OpenAI perplexity or a grok model if there's something really particular that I need. But I would say from time to time, not even one in 100 queries that I do. Last week, Sam Altman snagged Peter Steinberger, the developer behind OpenClaw. He's joined OpenAI. He had been pursued by Mark Zuckerberg messaging him on WhatsApp. I don't know how Mark got his number, but I guess Mark owns WhatsApp. So maybe he has ways to see if they could support that business. And I know that many, many Silicon Valley VCs were really trying to get hold of OpenCore, trying to get a hold of Pete to see if they could support that business. So you can draw your own conclusions about what that tells you about how much of a shift in consumer user interactions we've seen from the model of the AI agent that OpenClaw has delivered to us So that a structural story and I written about it on the newsletter You can go off and see some more details Let me describe to you what it actually looks like. …”View more
Ridealong summary
Every morning, I receive a personalized briefing from my AI assistant, RMA, that organizes my day and highlights critical updates. This seamless integration of AI into my daily workflow not only streamlines my tasks but also showcases a significant shift in how we interact with technology. The rise of AI agents like OpenClaw reflects a transformative change in consumer user interactions.
Azeem Azhar's Exponential View·Showing you my AI chief of staff (OpenClaw practical guide)·Mar 05, 2026
“… of the narrative, I think they know that this will start to stall their ability to shape the world that they want. And every time someone like Sam Altman says something like, oh, think about how much it takes to train a human, that just kind of slices away and slices away on the public goodwill. Which does matter, right? Because like the idea that this is going to be great, it's going to change the world. If we all collectively stop believing that, it could be a pretty serious economic problem for these companies because they need a lot. It's hard to overstate how much money these companies …”“… are striking these deals, they still got the $250 billion of data centers. And yet, they are under a lot of pressure. And public pressure is basically working, like they are really struggling to regain control of the narrative. And as they lose control of the narrative, I think they know that this will start to stall their ability to shape the world that they want. And every time someone like Sam Altman says something like, oh, think about how much it takes to train a human, that just kind of slices away and slices away on the public goodwill. Which does matter, right? Because like the idea that this is going to be great, it's going to change the world. If we all collectively stop believing that, it could be a pretty serious economic problem for these companies because they need a lot. It's hard to overstate how much money these companies need. And the more that the public isn't buying it, the harder this argument is to sell to”View more
Ridealong summary
Microsoft's Brad Smith revealed a startling truth: tech companies like his are struggling to generate public demand for AI, relying on government intervention to push adoption. This admission reflects a broader crisis where public perception is crucial for the future of AI, and as skepticism grows, it threatens the economic viability of these companies. The narrative is shifting, and if the public loses faith, the consequences could be dire.
The Interface·Is Havana Syndrome really real?·Feb 26, 2026
“And then you have the so-called leaders of this industry. Sam Altman recently said in a public discussion, people talk about how much energy it takes to train an AI model, but it also takes a lot of energy to train a human. It takes like 20 years of life and all the food you eat during that time before you get smart. SpaceX engineer Moratz and Coylan responded to this, I build AI for a living. I believe in what we're building. But this kind of rhetoric makes my work harder and more dangerous. Comparing human …”“And then you have the so-called leaders of this industry. Sam Altman recently said in a public discussion, people talk about how much energy it takes to train an AI model, but it also takes a lot of energy to train a human. It takes like 20 years of life and all the food you eat during that time before you get smart. SpaceX engineer Moratz and Coylan responded to this, I build AI for a living. I believe in what we're building. But this kind of rhetoric makes my work harder and more dangerous. Comparing human development to model training is tone deaf and strategically reckless. People are losing jobs. They're getting angry. They're seeing AI as an enemy instead of a solution. Some are planning to destroy data centers and the people who build this stuff. That anger and backlash might not be reaching your floor, but it reaches the engineers and builders …”View more
Ridealong summary
Sam Altman's comparison of human development to AI training has sparked backlash from industry insiders. As anger grows over job losses and fears of AI, the real challenge is fostering optimism and collaboration between human and AI intelligence for a better future. This discussion highlights the need for responsible leadership in shaping public sentiment around AI technology.
The AI Daily Brief: Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis·The Rise of the Anti-AI Movement·Feb 24, 2026
“… different direction. I think that that's Jammer B in the Discord. And honestly, I know how much Mark Zuckerberg looked up to Steve. I know how much Sam Altman looked up to Steve. And I do wonder, even if Steve was alive and just a chairman of the board of Apple or had retired entirely from Apple at this point, although I kind of can't see that happening, I wonder what kind of advice he would have given today's tech titans that might have steered them into better places than they are now. I don't know. Who can say? But I think that's interesting to think about as well, that they really viewed him as a …”“… that that is exactly what Donald Trump reacts to in a way. Just wear a nice suit. Also, I mean, not just Trump, but I do wonder, you talk about in the Discord, somebody said he would have been the leader of the tech bros and would have led them in a different direction. I think that that's Jammer B in the Discord. And honestly, I know how much Mark Zuckerberg looked up to Steve. I know how much Sam Altman looked up to Steve. And I do wonder, even if Steve was alive and just a chairman of the board of Apple or had retired entirely from Apple at this point, although I kind of can't see that happening, I wonder what kind of advice he would have given today's tech titans that might have steered them into better places than they are now. I don't know. Who can say? But I think that's interesting to think about as well, that they really viewed him as a mentor and then they lost him. And what that guidance would have been, who knows? Might have been a better Silicon Valley because of him. Certainly, we are all better off because of Steve. So, happy birthday, Steve, on your 71st. Yeah. Especially, we're coming up to the 50th anniversary of Apple. And so, a lot of thinking right now, certainly by …”View more
Ridealong summary
Imagine if Steve Jobs had remained at the helm of Apple and influenced today's tech landscape. His unique ability to pivot and recognize potential could have reshaped major companies like Google and Facebook. Reflecting on his leadership, we ponder the innovative directions he might have taken had he been alive today.
“… in India right now because they're announcing a bunch of new investments in A.I. And obviously you have the CEOs from the top A.I. labs, including Sam Altman and Dario Amodei of OpenAI and Anthropic, who were sat or rather stood next to each other during the celebration. And they were asked or prompted to hold hands. And as you can see on this video, they were not down to playing ball. Look at that. Look at this. Look at this next clip. They kind of awkwardly hold that. For those of you are listening, they awkwardly hold their hands up in the air, but they kind of cross arms. They don't want to hold …”“OK, we interrupt this news segment for what is probably going to be the contender of the year for most awkward moment ever in the entire A.I. industry. So for context on this video, a lot of the A.I. warlords, sorry, overlords are in India right now because they're announcing a bunch of new investments in A.I. And obviously you have the CEOs from the top A.I. labs, including Sam Altman and Dario Amodei of OpenAI and Anthropic, who were sat or rather stood next to each other during the celebration. And they were asked or prompted to hold hands. And as you can see on this video, they were not down to playing ball. Look at that. Look at this. Look at this next clip. They kind of awkwardly hold that. For those of you are listening, they awkwardly hold their hands up in the air, but they kind of cross arms. They don't want to hold each other's hand. Just so awkward. Yeah, it's funny that this A.I. Impact Summit seemingly came out of nowhere. It's this huge summit in India and they got every CEO there. I mean, I see Sundar and who else is there? There's yeah, we have DeepMind representation, OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft, basically every company is covered. And as they're on …”View more
Ridealong summary
At the A.I. Impact Summit in India, a hilariously awkward moment unfolded when OpenAI's Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei were prompted to hold hands on stage but instead crossed their arms in refusal. This moment highlights the intense rivalry between top A.I. companies, raising questions about their ability to collaborate effectively for the greater good. The tension, however, may actually drive innovation as both companies compete to release new models at an unprecedented pace.
Limitless Podcast·THIS WEEK IN AI - Toilet Co. Challenges NVIDIA, Apple AI Device Rumors, Manus vs OpenClaw·Feb 20, 2026
“… my weekend show, The Kim Commando Show. It's pretty much the best radio show in the world, but I may be just a little biased. Sit back and enjoy. Sam Altman and Johnny Ivey are making this mysterious AI device and turns out that Apple is actually making one too. Apple has a wearable AI pin. So you remember that AI that didn't work before? Right. Okay. Now you're going to have it on a pin. It's a small aluminum glass disc that attaches to your clothing, basically an air tag. It's said to have two front-facing cameras, three mics to hear everything around you, and a speaker for responses. And it …”“… worth more than $4 trillion, Google $3.25 trillion. So do you think this really taught them a lesson? Meta's new Ray-Ban glasses are about to identify you, your job, and your last social media posts. Find out more at GetKim.com. And now, a clip from my weekend show, The Kim Commando Show. It's pretty much the best radio show in the world, but I may be just a little biased. Sit back and enjoy. Sam Altman and Johnny Ivey are making this mysterious AI device and turns out that Apple is actually making one too. Apple has a wearable AI pin. So you remember that AI that didn't work before? Right. Okay. Now you're going to have it on a pin. It's a small aluminum glass disc that attaches to your clothing, basically an air tag. It's said to have two front-facing cameras, three mics to hear everything around you, and a speaker for responses. And it wirelessly charges like an Apple Watch. And so they say you're going to have this super smart assistant right on your chest, probably early 2027. By super smart, you mean using someone else's technology? So I can look at my blouse and go, we're drawing a sunset today. Meanwhile, Microsoft comes out and they say that Copio is on track to evolve from …”View more
Ridealong summary
Yes, your devices are listening to you! Both Apple and Google have been recording millions of conversations since 2014, leading to massive lawsuits and settlements. Meanwhile, tech giants like Apple and Microsoft are developing new AI technologies that raise even more privacy concerns, as celebrities like Matthew McConaughey take legal action to protect their identities from AI deepfakes.
Kim Komando Daily Tech Update·This will teach them·Feb 19, 2026
“… He's at Alex. I'm at Jason. This is Twist. We have a breaking news story that drops Sunday. OpenClaw getting bought. Bye. The evil empire. OpenAI, Sam Altman, has bought OpenClaw. Here we are in AD24 or AO24, 24 days after we started talking about the incredible open source project, OpenClaw, and it's already been purchased. We're gonna talk all about what that means and handicap it. Alex, you decided to bring some great guests on today for our Monday show of Twist. Who do we got? Yes, we got a couple of awesome guests. First up, we have Heaton Shaw, someone that I've known in the technology world …”“… your business with Northwest. In 10 clicks and 10 minutes, you can form your company and walk away with a real business identity. Learn more at northwestregisteredagent.com slash twist. All right, everybody. Monday, February 16th, 2026. Lots of news. He's at Alex. I'm at Jason. This is Twist. We have a breaking news story that drops Sunday. OpenClaw getting bought. Bye. The evil empire. OpenAI, Sam Altman, has bought OpenClaw. Here we are in AD24 or AO24, 24 days after we started talking about the incredible open source project, OpenClaw, and it's already been purchased. We're gonna talk all about what that means and handicap it. Alex, you decided to bring some great guests on today for our Monday show of Twist. Who do we got? Yes, we got a couple of awesome guests. First up, we have Heaton Shaw, someone that I've known in the technology world for a very long time. He's the CEO of Crazy Egg, prior co-founder and CEO of a number of other companies. Fantastic technologist and OpenClaw fanatic. Heaton, thank you for coming on the show. And we also have Jessie Jene. She is a former founder and currently a homeschooling mom, and she's using OpenClaw in and around how she teaches her kids about …”View more
Ridealong summary
The podcast segment discusses the acquisition of OpenClaw by OpenAI, highlighting both the excitement around the technology and concerns about the implications of such a purchase by a major player in the AI space.
This Week in Startups·Will OpenAI Tank OpenClaw? | E2251·Feb 17, 2026
“… the end was, ads are coming to AI, but not to Claude, which let's just say the AI community got a good laugh out of it. The leaders at OpenAI, both Sam Altman and their chief marketing lead, responded quite defensively on Twitter with these long posts where they were like, haha, this is funny, but ads are good, we are democratizing AI, Anthropic is undemocratic, we are authoritarian. There was also a lot of commentary on OpenAI kind of like fumbling the bag with response, obviously being too touchy on it, probably has no business implications on a large scale, but an interesting thing to see …”“… something like ChargPT. The actors basically mimicked the speech patterns of ChargPT and the whole joke was in the middle of addressing whatever query that was from the user. They inserted an ad in kind of a ridiculous way. And the tagline at the end was, ads are coming to AI, but not to Claude, which let's just say the AI community got a good laugh out of it. The leaders at OpenAI, both Sam Altman and their chief marketing lead, responded quite defensively on Twitter with these long posts where they were like, haha, this is funny, but ads are good, we are democratizing AI, Anthropic is undemocratic, we are authoritarian. There was also a lot of commentary on OpenAI kind of like fumbling the bag with response, obviously being too touchy on it, probably has no business implications on a large scale, but an interesting thing to see Anthropic kind of coming at OpenAI in this way. Yeah, I don't think anybody expected that. There's like not Anthropic's brand to be aggressive like that, really, you know, at least not a few. If you know some of the researchers and personalities involved, it's like not their usual cup of tea. So interesting that they went there and all kinds of nuance …”View more
Ridealong summary
In a surprising move, Anthropic aired a Super Bowl ad poking fun at OpenAI, claiming 'ads are coming to AI, but not to Claude.' OpenAI's leaders responded defensively on Twitter, sparking a debate about the implications of advertising in AI and the competitive dynamics between these two companies in the rapidly evolving tech landscape.
Last Week in AI·#235 - Opus 4.6, GPT-5.3-codex, Seedance 2.0, GLM-5·Feb 16, 2026
“… about that. And then I think afterwards he called me eccentric, but brilliant. But I also had some, I had some really, really cool discussion with Sam Altman and he's, he's very thoughtful, brilliant, and I like him a lot from the, from the little time I had. Yeah. I mean, I know some people vilify both of those people. I don't think it's fair. I think no matter what the stuff you're building and the kind of human you are doing stuff at scale is kind of awesome. I'm excited. I am super pumped. And you know, the beauty is if, if it doesn't work out, I can just do my own thing again. Like I told him, …”“… I think we had a, like a 10 minute fight. What's better cloud code or codecs? I guess that's the thing you first do, like casually call someone who's like that owns one of the largest companies in the world and, and you have a 10 minutes conversation about that. And then I think afterwards he called me eccentric, but brilliant. But I also had some, I had some really, really cool discussion with Sam Altman and he's, he's very thoughtful, brilliant, and I like him a lot from the, from the little time I had. Yeah. I mean, I know some people vilify both of those people. I don't think it's fair. I think no matter what the stuff you're building and the kind of human you are doing stuff at scale is kind of awesome. I'm excited. I am super pumped. And you know, the beauty is if, if it doesn't work out, I can just do my own thing again. Like I told him, like, I, I don't do this for the money. I don't give a fuck. I mean, of course, of course it's a nice compliment, but I want to have fun and have impact. And that's ultimately what made my decision. Can I ask you about, we've talked about it quite a bit, but maybe just zooming out about how OpenClaw works. We've talked about different components. …”View more
Ridealong summary
Deciding between working for OpenAI or another major tech company felt as challenging as a breakup for this developer. Both companies offer incredible technology and the potential for meaningful impact, but the emotional weight of the decision made it uniquely difficult. Ultimately, the choice boiled down to the desire for fun and influence over monetary gain.
Lex Fridman Podcast·#491 – OpenClaw: The Viral AI Agent that Broke the Internet – Peter Steinberger·Feb 12, 2026
“… AI spend, so there are no surprises. Get started at aria.com slash morningbrew. That's aria.com slash morningbrew. You heard earlier in the show Sam Altman say that Codex was maybe seeing some impressive user growth in the last week, but according to semi-analysis, it might be Claude Code that is at an inflection point. Quote, 4% of GitHub public commits are now being authored by Claude Code. At the current trajectory, we believe that Claude Code will be 20% plus of all daily commits by the end of 2026. While you blinked, AI consumed all of software development. We believe that Claude Code is the …”“… ARIA's unified security layer, advanced threat detection, and robust compliance measures, your AI ecosystem can stay safe while your team innovates. Worried about staying on budget? ARIA's cost optimization tools can help you manage and forecast your AI spend, so there are no surprises. Get started at aria.com slash morningbrew. That's aria.com slash morningbrew. You heard earlier in the show Sam Altman say that Codex was maybe seeing some impressive user growth in the last week, but according to semi-analysis, it might be Claude Code that is at an inflection point. Quote, 4% of GitHub public commits are now being authored by Claude Code. At the current trajectory, we believe that Claude Code will be 20% plus of all daily commits by the end of 2026. While you blinked, AI consumed all of software development. We believe that Claude Code is the inflection point for AI agents and is a glimpse into the future of how AI will function. It is set to drive exceptional revenue growth for Anthropic in 2026, enabling the lab to dramatically outgrow OpenAI. Anthropic is on track to add as much power, compute power, as OpenAI in the next three years. Refer to our data center industry model for a …”View more
Ridealong summary
The podcast segment presents a strong, optimistic view on Claude Code's potential to significantly impact the AI coding tools market, suggesting it could surpass OpenAI in revenue growth.
OpenAI is struggling with data center delays and is being outpaced by Anthropic in revenue growth and compute power expansion.
Anthropic's Claude Code is at an inflection point, poised to drive exceptional revenue growth and outpace OpenAI by 2026.
Claude Code is at an inflection point and is set to drive exceptional revenue growth for Anthropic, potentially outgrowing OpenAI by 2026.
“… to build it. And we just know that they would not have been able to fulfill their dreams on subscription revenue alone. That said, as you point out, Sam Altman himself said that ads were going to be a last resort, a great Papa Roach song. And so in this moment, we now are at the last resort. And so I think it's just interesting that after everything else they tried, eventually, they just said, look, to do what we need to do, we've got to sort of break glass. The emergency is here. Yeah, they said, cut my life into pieces. Because this is my last resort. Yeah. And the question is, will this cut their …”“… just be overwhelming pressure to put ads on it. Also, we know that OpenAI needs revenue, right? This is the company that has laid out the most ambitious infrastructure investment project in human history. They have nowhere close to the money needed to build it. And we just know that they would not have been able to fulfill their dreams on subscription revenue alone. That said, as you point out, Sam Altman himself said that ads were going to be a last resort, a great Papa Roach song. And so in this moment, we now are at the last resort. And so I think it's just interesting that after everything else they tried, eventually, they just said, look, to do what we need to do, we've got to sort of break glass. The emergency is here. Yeah, they said, cut my life into pieces. Because this is my last resort. Yeah. And the question is, will this cut their life into pieces? Yes. So we're going to get there. But first, our disclosures. The New York Times is suing OpenAI, Microsoft, and Perplexity over alleged copyright violations related to the trading of large language models. And my boyfriend works at Anthropic. Let's just start with the actual announcement that they made, because they not only said …”View more
Ridealong summary
OpenAI's decision to introduce ads into ChatGPT marks a significant shift, driven by the need for revenue amidst ambitious infrastructure goals. Despite assurances that ads won't influence responses, concerns arise about how integrated these ads could become over time, potentially blurring the line between organic content and advertising. This situation reflects a broader trend in digital platforms where user experience may be compromised by commercial pressures.
Hard Fork·Will ChatGPT Ads Change OpenAI? + Amanda Askell Explains Claude's New Constitution·Jan 23, 2026
“I'm not skeptical that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, Greg Brockman having just given $25 million to the Trump super PAC, have better relationships in the Trump administration and have more trust between them and the Trump administration. I know many people angry at OpenAI for doing this. I probably emotionally share some of that. And at the same time, some part of me was relieved it was open AI, because I think open AI exists in a world where they want to be an AI company that …”“I'm not skeptical that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, Greg Brockman having just given $25 million to the Trump super PAC, have better relationships in the Trump administration and have more trust between them and the Trump administration. I know many people angry at OpenAI for doing this. I probably emotionally share some of that. And at the same time, some part of me was relieved it was open AI, because I think open AI exists in a world where they want to be an AI company that can be used by Republicans and Democrats. They want to somehow be politically neutral and broadly acceptable One little thing that I want to contest a bit here is the notion that like Claude is the sort of like left model In fact many conservative intellectuals that I know that I think of as being like some of the smartest people I know actually …”View more
Ridealong summary
The conversation reveals that OpenAI's leaders, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, aim for political neutrality in AI, despite Brockman's $25 million donation to a Trump super PAC. This segment explores the unexpected alliances and tensions within the AI community, highlighting that many conservative thinkers prefer the Claude model for its philosophical rigor, defying the left-right narrative often associated with AI safety discussions.
The Ezra Klein Show·Who Should Control A.I.?·Mar 06, 2026
“… been claw-pilled. You first, and then, of course, when OpenClaw was acquihired, slash we'll get into whatever the transaction was, and our friend Sam Altman bought it, sort of. They said big concerns Open source project is going to get the plug pulled on it This is a disaster Everybody has a moment of panic And then it announced that you will become the first board member of the Open Claw Foundation And everybody took a deep sigh of relief because putting you in there was obviously the signal that this is going to be done right and done fairly because that's your reputation. Tell us two questions. …”“… the show. It was the best day of my life. Some people are gifted with the broadcaster voice. Other ones of us, not so much. We just make it work. We make it work with the limited resources we have. Dave, I wanted to have you on because you two have been claw-pilled. You first, and then, of course, when OpenClaw was acquihired, slash we'll get into whatever the transaction was, and our friend Sam Altman bought it, sort of. They said big concerns Open source project is going to get the plug pulled on it This is a disaster Everybody has a moment of panic And then it announced that you will become the first board member of the Open Claw Foundation And everybody took a deep sigh of relief because putting you in there was obviously the signal that this is going to be done right and done fairly because that's your reputation. Tell us two questions. Let's start with how did you get Claw Pelled? and why is this technology so inspiring that it went to the top of GitHub today, even beating React, which was another one of those cult-like phenomenons in the open source community? Yeah. Late December, I was in a, I'm in a couple of group chats that go back to like the early 2000s, like when you and …”View more
Ridealong summary
I realized Open Claw technology could change everything when it built me a new web interface in just 15 minutes. This groundbreaking tool not only updated my photo frames but also offered to create a CRM for my networking needs. Discover how this innovative tech sparked excitement reminiscent of the early internet days.
This Week in Startups·How the OpenClaw foundation bullet-proofed its future (w/Dave Morin) | E2257·Mar 03, 2026
“… lot, lot, lot, lot, lot. And everybody just needs to go and look at the lead image art for us. It's pretty good. AI generated, but pretty good. It's Sam Altman. The title is Sam Altman may control our future. Can he be trusted? Authors Ronan Farrow and Andrew Morantz. Now, Ronan Farrow, I know his name. Mia Farrow's son. And, of course, Woody Allen. I don't know. Was Woody Allen his dad or just his? For the media heads out there, this is also a rare double New Yorker byline. Yes. Very unusual. And Farrow has done some really good work on Me Too. Was he the Harvey Weinstein? Did he blow the lid off …”“All right, you've been dying to talk about this. Boy, we had a little reading assignment. How many words was this? A lot, lot, lot, lot, lot. And everybody just needs to go and look at the lead image art for us. It's pretty good. AI generated, but pretty good. It's Sam Altman. The title is Sam Altman may control our future. Can he be trusted? Authors Ronan Farrow and Andrew Morantz. Now, Ronan Farrow, I know his name. Mia Farrow's son. And, of course, Woody Allen. I don't know. Was Woody Allen his dad or just his? For the media heads out there, this is also a rare double New Yorker byline. Yes. Very unusual. And Farrow has done some really good work on Me Too. Was he the Harvey Weinstein? Did he blow the lid off Harvey Weinstein? He did some really good investigative work. He's got a whole kind of team of researchers and investigative people as well. Yeah. And like fact checkers and pre-fact checkers. And here's the thing that I think is interesting. He spent 18 months and hundreds of interviews. Andrew Marantz is a staff writer at The New Yorker. He wrote a …”View more
Ridealong summary
Investigative journalists Ronan Farrow and Andrew Morantz spent 18 months exploring whether Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, can be trusted with the future of AI. Their findings reveal a complicated portrait of Altman, highlighting his 'fickle relationship with the truth' but ultimately lacking any criminal evidence against him. This raises important questions about accountability in the tech industry and the role of journalism in holding powerful figures to account.
Intelligent Machines (Audio)·IM 865: Mythic - Too Dangerous to Release?·Apr 08, 2026
“… think this sets a price floor for Duwakesh, Friedman, Sundberg, etc. While other tech CEOs start to get jealous that their favorite show belongs to Sam Altman. Peter Kafka wrote something similar where he basically said, legacy media companies wish they could afford to buy Feed Me, but the only types of companies that can are tech companies. That makes an interesting feeling to be in this moment being compared to this multi-hundred-million-dollar acquisition.”“… boss and there's different mouths to feed yeah not you're not just feeding audience mouths anymore and that that you What does that mean? You have been mentioned in two places in light of this deal. One, Mike Isaac from the New York Times tweeted, I think this sets a price floor for Duwakesh, Friedman, Sundberg, etc. While other tech CEOs start to get jealous that their favorite show belongs to Sam Altman. Peter Kafka wrote something similar where he basically said, legacy media companies wish they could afford to buy Feed Me, but the only types of companies that can are tech companies. That makes an interesting feeling to be in this moment being compared to this multi-hundred-million-dollar acquisition.”View more
Ridealong summary
When a media company is acquired for hundreds of millions, it raises questions about independence and creative freedom. Emily Sundberg reflects on how such deals change the dynamics of ownership and content creation, emphasizing the struggle between profit and artistic integrity. This moment highlights the tension between being independent and navigating the pressures of corporate ownership.
TechStuff·Sam Altman Bought A Media Company. Now What? w/ Emily Sundberg - The Story·Apr 08, 2026
“… and hardware almost And I don think anybody really quite conceptualized that and what it means yet The information piece basically the takeaway was Sam Altman and his CFO are not aligned The CFO has reportedly not been brought to meetings. And as they prepare for an IPO later this year and to deploy tons and tons and tons and tons more money towards basically data centers and compute, you know, without a corresponding revenue growth plan, that could be a really scary thing for the company and for the investors. The New Yorker piece by Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz was about Sam Altman as a person …”“… It's like, you know, there's this there's a scarce resource here and they have to, you know, modify their products based on like how much supply they can get. And like that is totally different. It's like software. It like a hybrid of like software and hardware almost And I don think anybody really quite conceptualized that and what it means yet The information piece basically the takeaway was Sam Altman and his CFO are not aligned The CFO has reportedly not been brought to meetings. And as they prepare for an IPO later this year and to deploy tons and tons and tons and tons more money towards basically data centers and compute, you know, without a corresponding revenue growth plan, that could be a really scary thing for the company and for the investors. The New Yorker piece by Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz was about Sam Altman as a person and that, you know, multiple people went on the record about him being him lying and several people called him a sociopath. Which of these pieces are you read you're saying the more important pieces, the information piece. I mean, Kyle Taylor, I don't know if either you read either”View more
Ridealong summary
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, faces serious scrutiny as reports surface about his misalignment with the CFO and allegations of sociopathy. With an IPO on the horizon and massive investments in compute power, the company's future is uncertain. This tension suggests a deeper psychological profile that could impact both the firm and its investors.
TechStuff·OpenAI's Sam Altman: Philosopher King Or Sociopath? - Week in Tech·Apr 10, 2026
“… they already raised $41 billion last year, which was a record for any private fundraising, bigger than any IPO, by the way, as well. And so kudos to Sam Altman for raising that much money. But can you pull that trick on a bigger scale every year until 2030 when they have to break even? No. And that's why they're cutting products like Soro. Except for right now. Why? Because they just raised the 120. But if you look at the 100, it's kind of smoke and mirrors. A lot of that is contingent on you get this money if you go public. You get this money future. You get this money in kind in terms of, you know, …”“… it to some future where the product is stickier somehow and they can charge money. And so I think OpenAI has been running two simultaneous experiments. One is with a new frontier technology. And the second is how deep are global capital markets? And they already raised $41 billion last year, which was a record for any private fundraising, bigger than any IPO, by the way, as well. And so kudos to Sam Altman for raising that much money. But can you pull that trick on a bigger scale every year until 2030 when they have to break even? No. And that's why they're cutting products like Soro. Except for right now. Why? Because they just raised the 120. But if you look at the 100, it's kind of smoke and mirrors. A lot of that is contingent on you get this money if you go public. You get this money future. You get this money in kind in terms of, you know, compute or something. The hundred wasn't really a hundred. Isn't there a little bit of a dynamic where you could wind up with like an”View more
Ridealong summary
The creator of a new documentary claims AI is a Ponzi scheme, but the truth might be more complex. While AI technology is rapidly advancing, OpenAI faces significant financial challenges, relying heavily on massive funding to sustain its growth. With pressure to monetize their popular chatbot, the question remains: can they bridge the gap to profitability before running out of capital?
TBPN·AI Is Coming for Your Memes, Axios NPM Package Compromised, Claude Code Source Code Leak | Alex Pruden, Qasar Younis, Sebastian Mallaby, Forrest Heath, Dino Mavrookas, Will Ahmed, Jannick Malling, Ryan Daniels, Chris Yu·Mar 31, 2026
“… The young man who funded that study funded a longitudinal study, $60 million, put in $14 million of his own dollars. And that young man's name was Sam Altman. now why in 2016 is sam altman funding the largest ubi study in american history six years before the front-facing arrival of chat gpt in november of 2022 it is because silicon valley has viewed this technology as a way to remake and reset capitalism free markets the entire economic structure what they would call a post society And when you think of the Judeo Protestant work ethic one of the things he said in that note he says I think we will …”“… And he said, I want to see what will happen. Will they create new jobs? Will they just waste time? And then he said, the reason I want to do this study is because I think in the future, technology is going to require some type of replacement income. The young man who funded that study funded a longitudinal study, $60 million, put in $14 million of his own dollars. And that young man's name was Sam Altman. now why in 2016 is sam altman funding the largest ubi study in american history six years before the front-facing arrival of chat gpt in november of 2022 it is because silicon valley has viewed this technology as a way to remake and reset capitalism free markets the entire economic structure what they would call a post society And when you think of the Judeo Protestant work ethic one of the things he said in that note he says I think we will view it as silly that we ever considered work, a fear of not being able to eat, a motivation for why you should work. I mean, that is the hinge of human motivation that we have used. And certainly if you look at scripture, the idea of striving for economic flourishing for your family. So they really are remaking the world. And the reality is they've …”View more
Ridealong summary
In 2016, Sam Altman funded a groundbreaking study on universal basic income (UBI), predicting that technology would soon require a replacement income for many. This initiative highlights how Silicon Valley is planning to reshape capitalism as we know it, raising urgent questions about the future of work and economic motivation. Understanding these shifts is crucial for preparing ourselves and our children for an uncertain future.
