Sam Altman, the Microsoft Bull Case, OpenAI and AI Live Players - The Riff with Byrne Hobart

"Econ 102" with Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg

This is a bonus episode for Econ 102 listeners of The Riff with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg, recorded on Monday night 11/20, discussing the evolving story of Sam Altman’s ousting at OpenAI and new home at Microsoft, what OpenAI's next pivot could look like, the new competitive landscape for the big AI players, and Effective Altruism’s role in this drama. Need Soc 2 compliance? Get 20% off your first year of Secureframe by mentioning "The Riff" during your free demo: https://secureframe.com/riff

The Riff is a new podcast from the Turpentine podcast network. Subscribe to The Riff: https://link.chtbl.com/theriff

We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.

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LINKS:

Byrne's writing: https://thediff.co

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X / TWITTER:

@eriktorenberg

@byrnehobart

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Introduction from Erik

(00:50) Non obvious thoughts about governance and legal structures

(03:50) Could the board have found out something about Sam?

(05:00) Tech’s online coordination and choosing sides

(06:20) Why haven’t the OpenAI board shared their reasoning?

(12:20) Are they going to bring Sam back?

(15:20) What should OpenAI’s pivot be?

(17:35) Sponsor: Secureframe

(18:40) Analyzing Microsoft's moves and the sweetheart deal

(22:00) Satya's succession plans

(25:05) OpenAI's unique governance structure

(28:10) Why Byrne is long on Microsoft

(36:00) What explains Microsoft's turnaround?

(38:15) Meta and Google

(44:20) Which of these companies Byrne would short: Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Microsoft

(46:20) Was this a coup from the Effective Altruism movement?

This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [e-mail].