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OpenAI is one of those unique tech companies where the mantra "build it and they will come" truly applies. While I have nothing against Sam Altman, it's weird t

OpenAI is one of those unique tech companies where the mantra "build it and they will come" truly applies. While I have nothing against Sam Altman, it's weird to see the significant media attention focused on the CEO. Considering the nature of OpenAI's product, it seems their success might be less about the management and more attributable to the research/technical teams.

intev 3y ago
This is almost never true unless it's a life saving drug. Xerox literally had the keys to the kingdom for years before multiple people came along and figured out how to get the "tech" to mass market.
- olalonde 3y ago
  This is one of those rare occasions in my opinion. OpenAI trained truly ground breaking models that were miles ahead of anything the world had seen before. Everything else was really just a side show. Their marketing efforts were, at best, average. They chose to call their premier product "ChatGPT", a term that might resonate with AI scientists but appears as a random, forgettable string of letters to the average person. For a considerable period, there was no mobile app available. Their web app had its share of bugs, while third-party apps delivered a better UX. Maybe Sam Altman deserves credit for attracting talent and capital, I don't know. But it seems to me that OpenAI's success by far and large hinges on their game-changing models.
safety1st 3y ago
It's interesting to see people comparing Altman to Steve Jobs. By Sam's age, Steve had created the Apple II, created the Macintosh, founded NeXT, taken over Pixar, the list goes on. He was universally recognized as having a great eye for product design as well as being a master marketer who was really good at selling things. Sam on the other hand founded one startup where he was given $40M and failed. Then he got a job from Paul Graham and did a good job running an established VC firm for 5 years. He hasn't to my knowledge built any products or run any product companies or sold a bunch of stuff, he's basically a professional investor. The point here is not to throw shade on Sam Altman who is obviously a bright and successful guy and I'm sure he helped OpenAI get to where they are now. But it's beyond me why there's an army of Altman fanbois on Twitter frothing at the mouth over how this guy is indispensable and the next Steve Jobs and a product/research company like OpenAI can't survive without him. It's all politics/entertainment/rich guys throwing money away basically. It feels like that's all the current incarnation of the Valley is sometimes.
- manyoso 3y ago
  I'm pretty sure the work he put in to brand himself so that there are an army of fanbois bought into his own effort to hype himself up is probably a part of the reason for his firing.
John7149 3y ago
[flagged]

intev 3y ago

This is almost never true unless it's a life saving drug. Xerox literally had the keys to the kingdom for years before multiple people came along and figured out how to get the "tech" to mass market.

olalonde 3y ago
This is one of those rare occasions in my opinion. OpenAI trained truly ground breaking models that were miles ahead of anything the world had seen before. Everything else was really just a side show. Their marketing efforts were, at best, average. They chose to call their premier product "ChatGPT", a term that might resonate with AI scientists but appears as a random, forgettable string of letters to the average person. For a considerable period, there was no mobile app available. Their web app had its share of bugs, while third-party apps delivered a better UX. Maybe Sam Altman deserves credit for attracting talent and capital, I don't know. But it seems to me that OpenAI's success by far and large hinges on their game-changing models.

safety1st 3y ago

It's interesting to see people comparing Altman to Steve Jobs. By Sam's age, Steve had created the Apple II, created the Macintosh, founded NeXT, taken over Pixar, the list goes on. He was universally recognized as having a great eye for product design as well as being a master marketer who was really good at selling things. Sam on the other hand founded one startup where he was given $40M and failed. Then he got a job from Paul Graham and did a good job running an established VC firm for 5 years. He hasn't to my knowledge built any products or run any product companies or sold a bunch of stuff, he's basically a professional investor. The point here is not to throw shade on Sam Altman who is obviously a bright and successful guy and I'm sure he helped OpenAI get to where they are now. But it's beyond me why there's an army of Altman fanbois on Twitter frothing at the mouth over how this guy is indispensable and the next Steve Jobs and a product/research company like OpenAI can't survive without him. It's all politics/entertainment/rich guys throwing money away basically. It feels like that's all the current incarnation of the Valley is sometimes.

manyoso 3y ago
I'm pretty sure the work he put in to brand himself so that there are an army of fanbois bought into his own effort to hype himself up is probably a part of the reason for his firing.

John7149 3y ago

[flagged]