Why OpenAI Bought a Talk Show

About this episode

The episode discusses OpenAI's acquisition of a tech talk show in the context of its upcoming IPO.

As OpenAI prepares for its IPO, the company decided to…pay millions of dollars for a tech talk show? Is this just what rich tech guys like Sam Altman are like now?  Guest: Mike Isaac , tech reporter for the New York Times. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Evan Campbell, and Patrick Fort. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Guest: Mike Isaac

Topics covered

• OpenAI
• IPO
• tech talk show
• technology
• media
• investment

Keywords

• OpenAI
• IPO
• tech talk show
• Sam Altman
• Mike Isaac
• investment
• technology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: OpenAI, New York Times, Slate Plus, Acast

More episodes of What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future

• IPO to the Moon · June 12, 2026 · 30 min
• Gradu-AI-tion Day · June 5, 2026 · 26 min
• Trump's Disney Shakedown · May 29, 2026 · 29 min
• Can Patreon Build a Better Internet? · May 22, 2026 · 34 min
• TBD Tries…Roblox · May 17, 2026 · 34 min
• Trump Visits the First World · May 15, 2026 · 22 min