
Sam Altman, OpenAI and the Future of Artificial (General) Intelligence
Kara speaks to two fellow tech reporters who have tackled these questions in their latest books: Keach Hagey is a reporter at The Wall Street Journal. Her book is called \u201cThe Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI and the Race to Reinvent the Future.\u201d Karen Hao writes for publications including The Atlantic and leads the Pulitzer Center\u2019s AI Spotlight Series. Her book is called \u201cEmpire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman\u2019s OpenAI.\u201d They speak to Kara about Altman\u2019s background, his short firing\/rehiring in 2023 known as \u201cThe Blip\u201d, how Altman used OpenAI\u2019s nonprofit status to recruit AI researchers and get Elon Musk on board, and whether OpenAI\u2019s mission is still to reach AGI, artificial general intelligence.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.
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It's on. Twice a week, award-winning journalist Kara Swisher gets to the heart of the story through no-holds-barred interviews with power players across business, tech, media, politics and beyond. So why do her guests show up? \u201cSmart people,\u201d says Kara, \u201clike difficult questions.\u201d
Mondays and Thursdays from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network. <\/p>","artwork":{"src":"https:\/\/is1-ssl.mzstatic.com\/image\/thumb\/Podcasts122\/v4\/82\/60\/b1\/8260b109-8303-9f64-ccbe-e96385f3b202\/mza_12457635367297407469.jpeg\/1200x1200bb.jpg","srcset":["\/img\/empty.gif 10w","https:\/\/is1-ssl.mzstatic.com\/image\/thumb\/Podcasts122\/v4\/82\/60\/b1\/8260b109-8303-9f64-ccbe-e96385f3b202\/mza_12457635367297407469.jpeg\/80x80bb-75.jpg 80w","https:\/\/is1-ssl.mzstatic.com\/image\/thumb\/Podcasts122\/v4\/82\/60\/b1\/8260b109-8303-9f64-ccbe-e96385f3b202\/mza_12457635367297407469.jpeg\/160x160bb-75.jpg 160w","https:\/\/is1-ssl.mzstatic.com\/image\/thumb\/Podcasts122\/v4\/82\/60\/b1\/8260b109-8303-9f64-ccbe-e96385f3b202\/mza_12457635367297407469.jpeg\/320x320bb-75.jpg 320w","https:\/\/is1-ssl.mzstatic.com\/image\/thumb\/Podcasts122\/v4\/82\/60\/b1\/8260b109-8303-9f64-ccbe-e96385f3b202\/mza_12457635367297407469.jpeg\/640x640bb-75.jpg 640w","https:\/\/is1-ssl.mzstatic.com\/image\/thumb\/Podcasts122\/v4\/82\/60\/b1\/8260b109-8303-9f64-ccbe-e96385f3b202\/mza_12457635367297407469.jpeg\/1280x1280bb-75.jpg 1280w"]},"url":"https:\/\/canadian-podcasts.com\/podcast\/on-with-kara-swisher"}})">
Few technological advances have made the kind of splash –– and had the potential long-term impact –– that ChatGPT did in November 2022. It made a nonprofit called OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, household names around the world. Today, ChatGPT is still the world’s most popular AI Chatbot; OpenAI recently closed a $40 billion funding deal, the largest private tech deal on record. But who is Sam Altman? And was it inevitable that OpenAI would become such a huge player in the AI space?
Kara speaks to two fellow tech reporters who have tackled these questions in their latest books: Keach Hagey is a reporter at The Wall Street Journal. Her book is called “The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI and the Race to Reinvent the Future.” Karen Hao writes for publications including The Atlantic and leads the Pulitzer Center’s AI Spotlight Series. Her book is called “Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI.” They speak to Kara about Altman’s background, his short firing/rehiring in 2023 known as “The Blip”, how Altman used OpenAI’s nonprofit status to recruit AI researchers and get Elon Musk on board, and whether OpenAI’s mission is still to reach AGI, artificial general intelligence.
Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
On with Kara Swisher
It's on. Twice a week, award-winning journalist Kara Swisher gets to the heart of the story through no-holds-barred interviews with power players across business, tech, media, politics and beyond. So why do her guests show up? “Smart people,” says Kara, “like difficult questions.”
Mondays and Thursdays from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
- No. of episodes: 302
- Latest episode: 2025-07-21
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