logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2023
9m 29s

The messy human drama behind OpenAI

NPR
About this episode
The company behind ChatGPT pushed out its CEO Sam Altman on Friday. OpenAI's board gave the public little insight into its controversial decision. On Sunday, Microsoft announced it was hiring Sam Altman. By Monday morning, hundreds of OpenAI employees are threatening to leave unless the board resigns. Kate Clark, deputy bureau chief at tech publication The Information, says the saga is far from over.

Today on the show, we explore the fault lines below the world of artificial intelligence development, and how the pressure built until a leading CEO was fired.

Related episodes:
Bots, bootleggers and Baptists (Apple Podcasts / Spotify)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
Can you afford to evacuate ahead of a disaster?
We are just at the start of hurricane season, and we're already seeing the danger and tragedy brought on by storms. There's another cost that gets much less attention, but it's a gamble everyone in the path of a storm has to make.Today on the show, we examine the decision on whet ... Show More
9 m
Jul 8
Will the tax cuts pay for themselves?
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is now law. It's expected to cost the government a pretty penny. The Congressional Budget Office predicts a $3.4 trillion increase in the deficit over ten years. This is driven by significant tax cuts, including extensions of those made in 2017. Tru ... Show More
8m 14s
Jul 7
Why can't we insure trees?
In the U.S., we insure most everything we sell. So why not trees? Today on the show why trees aren't insured like other crops, and what it would take to get that insurance with extreme weather events on the rise. Related episodes: When insurers can't get insurance (Apple / Spotif ... Show More
9m 4s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
Emergency podcast: chaos at OpenAI
The Verge's Nilay Patel and Alex Heath join David Pierce after a long, winding weekend reporting on the dramatic shakeup at OpenAI, still in progress. Further reading: Turmoil at OpenAI: after firing Sam Altman, what's next for the creators of ChatGPT? Sam Altman fired as CEO of ... Show More
1h 9m
Nov 2023
OpenAI Chaos Continues as Most of Staff Threatens to Quit
Episode 196: Neal and Toby discuss the latest drama surrounding Sam Altman's departure from OpenAI and why employees are threatening to leave the AI giant if he isn't reinstated as CEO. Plus why the Cruise CEO stepped down and what are the benefits of Argentina adopting the dolla ... Show More
26m 32s
Nov 2023
Emergency Pod: Sam Altman is Out at Open AI
Sam Altman, the chief executive of Open AI, was pushed out of the company by its board of directors on Friday. The news was a complete shock to much of the company’s employee base and to its largest corporate partner, Microsoft. Silicon Valley insiders are scrambling to get answe ... Show More
21m 16s
Nov 2023
The Big Crazy at OpenAI
This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss Sam Altman’s triumphant return to OpenAI and ponder the future of the artificial intelligence industry. They also discuss the legal woes of crypto exchange Binance and its CEO Changpeng Zhao. Finally: the economic ... Show More
52m 9s
Dec 2023
The exit and reinstatement of Sam Altman
In a week marked by unexpected turns and twists, OpenAI, the leader in AI development, witnessed a whirlwind of leadership changes that captured the attention of the business and tech world. In this episode of Down to Business English, Skip Montreux and Samantha Vega take listene ... Show More
19m 36s
Jun 2024
Sam Altman's Opaque Investment Empire
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has a day job and a side gig. Only one of them makes him rich. WSJ's Berber Jin explains how Altman makes most of his wealth through investing in tech startups and how some of those startups' business relationships with OpenAI raise questions about conflicts ... Show More
22m 10s
Jun 2024
OpenAI CTO Mira Murati on ScarJo Controversy, Sam Altman & Disinfo Fears
Kara interviews Mira Murati, Chief Technology Officer at OpenAI, and one of the most powerful people in tech. Murati has helped the company skyrocket to the forefront of the generative AI boom, and Apple’s recent announcement that it will soon put ChatGPT in its iPhones, iPads an ... Show More
49m 36s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami