Fear and Loathing in OpenAI

Sam Altman’s tenure at OpenAI has been… chaotic. So chaotic that Altman was briefly fired as CEO, only to be reinstated days later, at which point he began to permanently reshape the organization. this week, The New Yorker Posted an in-depth look at AltmanAnd his time at OpenAI, and the questions about whether he was the right person to be in charge of an important and transformative technology like AI.

on This episode of vertcastDavid and Nilay discuss OpenAI, Profile, Altman, and everything. recently. First, they have some projects to talk about. Nilay has finally finished his journey of turning his iMac into a monitor, although he has faced some hurdles along the way. David successfully programmes the productivity app of his dreams, but not before accidentally exploiting someone else’s dreams. The hosts compare notes on their projects, their Claude Code experience, and where this whole thing could be headed.

Next, it’s time for OpenAI. We discuss all the ways Altman is just a very ordinary businessman, and all the reasons why AI may or may not require a different kind of leader. Your answer to this question certainly depends on how big of a deal you think AI will be.

If you want to learn more about everything we discuss in this episode, here are some links to get you started: