Foundering: The OpenAI Story is a narrative podcast that examines the rise of Sam Altman, from the time he was a 19-year-old startup founder, then the head of Y Combinator, and now the billionaire king of this AI boom.
He was a small in stature, you know, I think maybe in cargo shorts or I mean, he looked like he could have still been in high school. But if you'd shut your eyes and we're just listening to him. His command of materials, a build bit, communicatment engage was on par with anyone you know I had met with over the course of my tech career.
The way people tell it, Sam Altman has always been destined for greatness.
I've personally seen Sam resolve a one hundred million dollar issue in a thirty minute phone call. Fifteen minute phone call.
He's a young Bill Gates, a baby Steve Jobs. Then Sam came within grasp of real power by being one of the founders of open Ai. He went against Elon Musk.
I am the reason Open Eye exists.
And one Elon reacts by trying to win at all costs and whatever whatever scorched earth may arise from that.
Sam became the leader of the most exciting company in the tech industry. He testified in front of Congress.
My worst fears are that we cause significant harm to the world. I think if this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong.
It would be a future shaped by him and his company's invention until breaking news, Sam Altman is out as CEO of Open Ai.
This is a stunner.
I'm your host, Ellen Hewitt. In this season of Foundering will take you inside Open Ai. It's a story of feuds, betrayals, billionaires, and maybe the extinction of humanity. And it's also the story of Sam Altman, the most Silicon valley man alive.
I heard someone describe him as the Michael Jordan of listening.
Maybe our future AI overlord. But he's also been dogged by rumors of being duplicitous.
It feels embarrassing to be related to him.
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