In a discussion involving Lauren Goode, Zoë Schiffer, and Michael Calore, it was revealed that Sam made a notable comment to his employees. Schiffer confirmed that Sam’s remarks included a wish for his competitor to engage more in product development rather than legal battles. Goode mentioned that Sam, in a Bloomberg News interview, expressed a desire for his competitor to improve their product offerings, suggesting that his rival operates from a position of insecurity and questioning his happiness.
Schiffer humorously speculated whether Sam Altman was attempting to rival biographical accounts of figures like Elon Musk, remarking on the psychological insights being shared. Goode noted that every time a conflict involving OpenAI emerges, she recalls Schiffer’s earlier comments highlighting its chaotic nature. Schiffer acknowledged the ongoing disputes, describing them as messy but appreciating the transparency, despite a lack of effective communication strategies being evident.
Goode pointed out that some critics view OpenAI as over-hyped and overvalued, especially in light of its $157 billion valuation, questioning the company’s ability to generate sufficient revenue to justify such a number. Schiffer hinted that such skepticism might overlook typical Silicon Valley startup valuations.
Calore identified DeepSeek, a Chinese chatbot competitor to ChatGPT, as a major point of discussion in recent months. Schiffer recalled an initial unfamiliarity with DeepSeek, a chatbot that competes directly with OpenAI, having allegedly been developed with considerably fewer resources. Though some are skeptical of these claims, the market reaction was significant, with Nvidia’s stock experiencing a notable decline.
Goode highlighted the impact of DeepSeek on Nvidia, whose stock dropped approximately 17%, equating to a significant loss in market value. This uncertainty affected the AI market, prompting OpenAI to release its own o3-mini reasoning model. This new model was faster and more accurate than previous versions, demonstrating OpenAI’s commitment to advancing its technology. Goode anticipated that major AI companies might pursue acquisitions of smaller firms to stay competitive with developments like DeepSeek.
