OpenAI enters the media space.
The AI technology giant has acquired TBPN, a live streaming show that covers big business, with a heavy focus on technology. The show will continue to stream on YouTube,
“TBPN will continue to operate its own programming, select its own guests, and make its own editorial decisions,” she wrote in a memo to staff. “This is fundamental to their credibility, and is something we explicitly protect as part of this agreement.”
So why is OpenAI buying Gen Z CNBC? It’s about helping the company communicate.
“As I thought about the future of how we communicate in OpenAI, one thing became clear: standard communications rules don’t apply to us,” Simo wrote. “We’re not a typical company. We’re leading a really big technology shift. And with the mission of bringing AGI to the world comes a responsibility to help create a space for a real, constructive conversation about the changes that AI creates — with the builders and the people using the technology at the center.”
TBPN founders and hosts Geordie Hayes and John Cogan will assist OpenAI with communications and marketing, reporting to Chief Strategy Officer Chris Lehane.
“I can’t wait to leverage their talents outside of the show to innovate how we bring AI into the world in a way that helps people understand the full impact of this technology on their daily lives,” Simo wrote.
TBPN has become an obsession in Silicon Valley, thanks to its hours-long daily broadcasts and in-depth conversations with founders. But OpenAI is entering the video production business just a week after it exited the video production business when Sora shut down. TBPN, of course, is a completely different type of product.
“Over the past year, we’ve had a front-row seat to not just OpenAI, but the entire ecosystem, covering daily news, announcements, and launches in real time,” Hayes said in a statement. “While we’ve been critical of the industry at times, after getting to know Sam and the OpenAI team, what stood out most was their openness to feedback and commitment to getting this right. Going from commenting to actually having an impact on how this technology is distributed and understood globally is incredibly important to us.”
