logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2024
1h 8m

Inside OpenAI | Logan Kilpatrick (head o...

Lenny Rachitsky
About this episode

Logan Kilpatrick leads developer relations at OpenAI, supporting developers building with the OpenAI API and ChatGPT. He is also on the board of directors at NumFOCUS, the nonprofit organization that supports open source projects like Jupyter, Pandas, NumPy, and more. Before OpenAI, Logan was a machine-learning engineer at Apple and advised NASA on open source policy. In our conversation, we discuss:

• OpenAI’s fast-paced and innovative work environment

• The value of high agency and high urgency in your employees

• Tips for writing better ChatGPT prompts

• How the GPT Store is doing

• OpenAI’s planning process and decision-making criteria

• Where OpenAI is heading in the next few years

• Insight into OpenAI’s B2B offerings

• Why Logan “measures in hundreds”

Brought to you by:

Hex—Helping teams ask and answer data questions by working together

Whimsical—The iterative product workspace

Arcade Software—Create effortlessly beautiful demos in minutes

Find the transcript for this episode and all past episodes at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/episodes/. Today’s transcript will be live by 8 a.m. PT.

Where to find Logan Kilpatrick:

• X: https://twitter.com/OfficialLoganK

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/logankilpatrick/

• Website: https://logank.ai/

Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com

• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Logan’s background

(03:49) The impact of recent events on OpenAI’s team and culture

(08:20) Exciting developments in AI interfaces

(09:52) Using OpenAI tools to make companies more efficient

(13:04) Examples of using AI effectively

(18:35) Prompt engineering

(22:12) How to write better prompts

(26:05) The launch of GPTs and the OpenAI Store

(32:10) The importance of high agency and urgency

(34:35) OpenAI’s ability to move fast and ship high-quality products

(35:56) OpenAI’s planning process and decision-making criteria

(40:22) The importance of real-time communication

(42:33) OpenAI’s team and growth

(44:47) Future developments at OpenAI

(47:42) GPT-5 and building toward the future

(50:38) OpenAI’s enterprise offering and the value of sharing custom applications

(52:30) New updates and features from OpenAI

(55:09) How to leverage OpenAI’s technology in products

(58:26) Encouragement for building with AI

(59:30) Lightning round

Referenced:

• OpenAI: https://openai.com/

• Sam Altman on X: https://twitter.com/sama

• Greg Brockman on X: https://twitter.com/gdb

• tldraw: https://www.tldraw.com/

• Harvey: https://www.harvey.ai/

• Boost Your Productivity with Generative AI: https://hbr.org/2023/06/boost-your-productivity-with-generative-ai

• Research: quantifying GitHub Copilot’s impact on developer productivity and happiness: https://github.blog/2022-09-07-research-quantifying-github-copilots-impact-on-developer-productivity-and-happiness/

• Lesson learnt from the DPD AI Chatbot swearing blunder: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lesson-learnt-from-dpd-ai-chatbot-swearing-blunder-kitty-sz57e/

• Dennis Yang on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennisyang/

• Tim Ferriss’s blog: https://tim.blog/

• Tyler Cowen on X: https://twitter.com/tylercowen

• Tom Cruise on X: https://twitter.com/TomCruise

• Canva: https://www.canva.com/

• Zapier: https://zapier.com/

• Siqi Chen on X: https://twitter.com/blader

• Runway: https://runway.com/

• Universal Primer: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-GbLbctpPz-universal-primer

• “I didn’t expect ChatGPT to get so good” | Unconfuse Me with Bill Gates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-Ymdc6EdKw

• Microsoft Azure: https://azure.microsoft.com/

• Lennybot: https://www.lennybot.com/

• Visual Electric: https://visualelectric.com/

• DALL-E: https://openai.com/research/dall-e

The One World Schoolhouse: https://www.amazon.com/One-World-Schoolhouse-Education-Reimagined/dp/1455508373/ref=sr_1_1

Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144324

Gran Turismo: https://www.netflix.com/title/81672085

Gran Turismo video game: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/gran-turismo/

• Manta sleep mask: https://mantasleep.com/products/manta-sleep-mask

• WAOAW sleep mask: https://www.amazon.com/WAOAW-Sleep-Sleeping-Blocking-Blindfold/dp/B09712FSLY

Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.



Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe
Up next
Jul 6
Solo founder, $80M exit, 6 months: The Base44 bootstrapped startup success story | Maor Shlomo
Maor Shlomo is the founder of Base44, an AI-powered app builder that he bootstrapped to an over $80 million acquisition by Wix in just six months. As a solo founder (with severe ADHD), he hit $1 million ARR just three weeks after launch and grew the product to more than 400,000 u ... Show More
1h 31m
Jul 3
I’ve run 75+ businesses. Here’s why you’re probably chasing the wrong idea. | Andrew Wilkinson (co‑founder of Tiny)
Andrew Wilkinson is the co‑founder of Tiny, a holding company that quietly owns more than three dozen profitable internet and consumer brands, including Dribbble and the AeroPress coffee maker. Starting as a teenage barista and web designer, he’s created a portfolio approaching $ ... Show More
1h 28m
Jun 29
Naming expert shares the process behind creating billion-dollar brand names like Azure, Vercel, Windsurf, Sonos, Blackberry, and Impossible Burger | David Placek (Lexicon Branding)
David Placek is the founder of Lexicon Branding, a company that focuses exclusively on the development of brand names for competitive advantage. Lexicon is behind iconic names such as Sonos, Microsoft’s Azure, Windsurf, Vercel, Impossible Foods, BlackBerry, Intel’s Pentium, Apple ... Show More
1h 22m
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
E122: Is AI the next great computing platform? ChatGPT vs. Google, containing AGI & RESTRICT Act
(0:00) Bestie intros! (1:31) Joe Manchin calls out Biden on IRA flip-flop (7:40) Sacks writes GPT-4-powered blog post, OpenAI launches ChatGPT plugins (26:31) Will generative AI be more important than mobile and the internet itself? Making the case for both Google and OpenAI to w ... Show More
1h 24m
May 2024
In conversation with Sam Altman
(0:00) Welcoming Sam Altman to the show! (2:28) What's next for OpenAI: GPT-5, open-source, reasoning, what an AI-powered iPhone competitor could look like, and more (21:56) How advanced agents will change the way we interface with apps (33:01) Fair use, creator rights, why OpenA ... Show More
1h 43m
Apr 2024
The Large Language Model Race with Pete Huang, Founder of The Neuron
Episode 4: How is AI impacting the future of creativity and the workplace? Matt Wolfe (https://twitter.com/mattwolfe) and Nathan Lands (https://twitter.com/NathanLands) tap into the insights of Pete Huang (https://twitter.com/petehuang), founder of The Neuron, a daily newsletter ... Show More
52m 16s
Mar 2023
#367 – Sam Altman: OpenAI CEO on GPT-4, ChatGPT, and the Future of AI
Sam Altman is the CEO of OpenAI, the company behind GPT-4, ChatGPT, DALL-E, Codex, and many other state-of-the-art AI technologies. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour – SimpliSafe: https://simplis ... Show More
2h 28m
Jun 2024
Developing technical taste: A guide for next-gen engineers | Sam Schillace (Deputy CTO at Microsoft, creator of Google Docs)
Sam Schillace is the CVP and Deputy CTO at Microsoft. Before Microsoft, Sam held prominent engineering roles at Google and Box. He has also founded six startups, including Writely, which was acquired by Google and became Google Docs.–In today’s episode, we discuss: Sam’s advice f ... Show More
1h 5m
Nov 2023
AI Demos! xAI’s Grok chatbot, OpenAI’s GPTs, & more! | E1846
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… LinkedIn Marketing. To redeem a $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, go to linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups* Vanta. Compliance and security shouldn't be a deal-breaker for startups to win new business. Vanta makes ... Show More
1h 1m
Sep 2023
OpenAI taps Jony Ive for “iPhone for AI," FTC/Amazon + Roam Around CEO Shie Gabbai | E1820
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… Supergut is the only nutrition brand clinically-proven to improve digestion, balance blood sugar, sustain energy, and manage weight. Save 25% on their delicious shakes, bars, and prebiotic mix at https://Supergut.com with code TWIST. Ca ... Show More
47m 3s
Aug 2021
#215 – Wojciech Zaremba: OpenAI Codex, GPT-3, Robotics, and the Future of AI
Wojciech Zaremba is a co-founder of OpenAI. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Paperspace: https://gradient.run/lex to get $15 credit – Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit – Blinkist: https://blinkist.com/lex and use code LEX to get 25% off p ... Show More
2h 58m
Jun 2023
How open-source & distributed models can win AI with MosaicML’s Naveen Rao | E1754
This Week in Startups is presented by: Vanta. Compliance and security shouldn't be a deal-breaker for startups to win new business. Vanta makes it easy for companies to get a SOC 2 report fast. TWiST listeners can get $1,000 off for a limited time at vanta.com/twist. Trovata. ... Show More
1 h
Oct 2023
Bill Gurley and Sunny Madra talk open-source vs. proprietary AI | E1825
This Week in Startups is brought to you by… LinkedIn Marketing. To redeem a $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, go to linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups Vanta. Compliance and security shouldn't be a deal-breaker for startups to win new business. Vanta makes i ... Show More
56m 35s