OpenAI's Sam Altman: Philosopher King Or Sociopath? - Week in Tech

About this episode

The episode discusses the recent controversies surrounding OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, including IPO issues and the implications of AI tools in schools.

OpenAI dominated this week's headlines — and it wasn’t all flattering. Reed Albergotti ( Semafor) breaks down the chaos: IPO drama and Ronan Farrow's probing New Yorker profile of Sam Altman paint a picture of a company under pressure, even as it remains the most talked-about name in AI. Taylor Lorenz ( User Mag) tells us about the AI tools marketed to schools as safety solutions that end up tracking students in ways with real consequences for kids and adults alike. And Kyle Chayka ( The New Yorker ) reviews the new book, Techno-Negative , tracing the long, often misunderstood history of anti-technology movements. Spoiler: it goes way deeper than the Luddites. Additional Reading:  Leap of Faith | Semafor Sam Altman May Control Our Future—Can He Be Trusted? | The New Yorker OpenAI CEO and CFO Diverge on IPO Timing | The Information They're Putting AI on School Buses | User Mag The Age-Old Urge to Destroy Technology | The New Yorker   Download  SAILY in your app store and use our code techstuff   at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase! For further details go to https://saily.com/techstuff See omnystudio.com/listener for…

People in this episode

Guests: Reed Albergotti, Taylor Lorenz, Kyle Chayka

Topics covered

• OpenAI
• AI tools in education
• anti-technology movements
• IPO drama
• Sam Altman profile
• technology ethics

Keywords

• OpenAI
• Sam Altman
• IPO
• AI tools
• education
• technology
• anti-technology
• Ronan Farrow
• Reed Albergotti

Sponsors

SAILY

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Semafor, The New Yorker, User Mag

Books & works: Techno-Negative

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