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> There was an incendiary article about me a few days ago. Someone said to me yesterday they thought it was coming at a time of great anxiety about AI and that

> There was an incendiary article about me a few days ago. Someone said to me yesterday they thought it was coming at a time of great anxiety about AI and that it made things more dangerous for me. For context his blog post seems to be a response to this deep-dive New Yorker article: "Sam Altman May Control Our Future—Can He Be Trusted?" https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/13/sam-altman-may-control-our-future-can-he-be-trusted https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/04/13/sam-altman-may... https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47659135 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47659135

deleted 6mo ago
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eddyfromtheblok 6mo ago
Ronan Farrow, one of the journalists who worked on this article, talked to Katie Couric on her YouTube channel about this. They worked on this across ~18 months. I thought this interview was illuminating.
- AlexCoventry 6mo ago
  Yes, it was good. It seems clear that Farrow and his co-author approached it in a methodical, fair-minded way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr_sB1Hl0oM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr_sB1Hl0oM
slater- 6mo ago
Turns out the article was not in fact incendiary.
- stavros 6mo ago
  Yeah, it's one thing to write an incendiary article, it's a very different thing to write an objective article about someone who will say anything to get what they want.
- scruple 6mo ago
  Incendiary. Is he trying to suggest the journalists are at fault here?
  - daseiner1 6mo ago
    "I am firm, you are obstinate, he is a pig-headed fool." https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Emotive_conjugation https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Emotive_conjugation
  - timmytokyo 6mo ago
    Yes.
  - MiguelX413 6mo ago
    That's exactly what he's trying to do
georgemcbay 6mo ago
He has to be talking about the New Yorker article, which wasn't incendiary at all. If anything, it seemed fully neutral to me, reporting what they could justify as facts but going out of their way to not specifically paint him or anyone else in a negative light beyond a listing of events that they presumably have solid sourcing on (if not, sue them; if so, stfu). If a neutral look at your actions seems incendiary to you, maybe you need to rethink your own life and actions. It should go without saying I don't think people should be attempting to light other people's houses on fire regardless of how distasteful they find those people.
davesque 6mo ago
Wouldn't it be more correct to call the article "critical" and not "incendiary"? I looked it over and I don't remember seeing any calls to violence. Altman needs to remember that he holds an incredible amount of power in this moment. He and other current AI tech leaders are effectively sitting on the equivalent of a technological nuclear bomb. Anyone in their right mind would find that threatening.
- h14h 6mo ago
  "Critical" even feels strong. The article was essentially a collection of statements others have made about Sam.
  - davesque 6mo ago
    Right, but the picture those statements painted collectively was not flattering. And that was certainly intended by the authors. Thus, critical, but not at all "incendiary." Update: To clarify, my personal stance is that the critical tone was both intended by the authors and, in my opinion, appropriate given how much power Mr. Altman holds. If he has a history of behaving inconsistently, that deserves daylight.
    - benzible 6mo ago
      Are you arguing that because the authors knew the pattern they were documenting was unflattering, the piece is somehow compromised? That they clearly had an agenda? That's called reporting. They called a hundred-plus named sources and the picture those sources independently painted was damning. Altman has a history of telling repeated, easily-checked lies, followed by fresh lies when caught in the first ones. Are you suggesting that they should have "both sides"-ed by reporting company PR and Sam-friendly sources and giving them equal weight? Sometimes the facts point in one direction.
      - davesque 6mo ago
        > Are you arguing that because the authors knew the pattern they were documenting was unflattering, the piece is somehow compromised? Uh, no? Lol, I'm on your side, bud. Put away the pitchfork. I thought it was a really good and fair article. I am not the adversary you're looking for.
rozal 6mo ago
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deleted 6mo ago

[deleted]

eddyfromtheblok 6mo ago

Ronan Farrow, one of the journalists who worked on this article, talked to Katie Couric on her YouTube channel about this. They worked on this across ~18 months. I thought this interview was illuminating.

AlexCoventry 6mo ago
Yes, it was good. It seems clear that Farrow and his co-author approached it in a methodical, fair-minded way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr_sB1Hl0oM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr_sB1Hl0oM

slater- 6mo ago

Turns out the article was not in fact incendiary.

stavros 6mo ago
Yeah, it's one thing to write an incendiary article, it's a very different thing to write an objective article about someone who will say anything to get what they want.
scruple 6mo ago
Incendiary. Is he trying to suggest the journalists are at fault here?
- daseiner1 6mo ago
  "I am firm, you are obstinate, he is a pig-headed fool." https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Emotive_conjugation https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Emotive_conjugation
- timmytokyo 6mo ago
  Yes.
- MiguelX413 6mo ago
  That's exactly what he's trying to do

georgemcbay 6mo ago

He has to be talking about the New Yorker article, which wasn't incendiary at all. If anything, it seemed fully neutral to me, reporting what they could justify as facts but going out of their way to not specifically paint him or anyone else in a negative light beyond a listing of events that they presumably have solid sourcing on (if not, sue them; if so, stfu). If a neutral look at your actions seems incendiary to you, maybe you need to rethink your own life and actions. It should go without saying I don't think people should be attempting to light other people's houses on fire regardless of how distasteful they find those people.

davesque 6mo ago

Wouldn't it be more correct to call the article "critical" and not "incendiary"? I looked it over and I don't remember seeing any calls to violence. Altman needs to remember that he holds an incredible amount of power in this moment. He and other current AI tech leaders are effectively sitting on the equivalent of a technological nuclear bomb. Anyone in their right mind would find that threatening.

h14h 6mo ago
"Critical" even feels strong. The article was essentially a collection of statements others have made about Sam.
- davesque 6mo ago
  Right, but the picture those statements painted collectively was not flattering. And that was certainly intended by the authors. Thus, critical, but not at all "incendiary." Update: To clarify, my personal stance is that the critical tone was both intended by the authors and, in my opinion, appropriate given how much power Mr. Altman holds. If he has a history of behaving inconsistently, that deserves daylight.
  - benzible 6mo ago
    Are you arguing that because the authors knew the pattern they were documenting was unflattering, the piece is somehow compromised? That they clearly had an agenda? That's called reporting. They called a hundred-plus named sources and the picture those sources independently painted was damning. Altman has a history of telling repeated, easily-checked lies, followed by fresh lies when caught in the first ones. Are you suggesting that they should have "both sides"-ed by reporting company PR and Sam-friendly sources and giving them equal weight? Sometimes the facts point in one direction.
    - davesque 6mo ago
      > Are you arguing that because the authors knew the pattern they were documenting was unflattering, the piece is somehow compromised? Uh, no? Lol, I'm on your side, bud. Put away the pitchfork. I thought it was a really good and fair article. I am not the adversary you're looking for.

rozal 6mo ago

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