OpenAI Acquires Tech Talk Show ‘TBPN’—and Buys Itself Some Positive News | WIRED

Save StorySave this storySave StorySave this storyOpenAI announced Thursday that it had acquired the online business talk show TBPN for an undisclosed sum. The move comes as OpenAI struggles with its public image, which has taken a significant hit in recent months.Since launching in 2024, TBPN has risen in popularity among Silicon Valley circles by offering a daily livestream about the technology industry that’s seen as more tech-friendly than traditional outlets. The show's two hosts, John Coogan and Jordi Hays, offer real-time commentary on breaking news, cycle through viral social media posts, and interview executives from companies including Meta, Salesforce, Palantir, and OpenAI. It’s become especially popular among OpenAI staff and other AI researchers, many of whom are addicted to the social media platform X.It’s hard to understand how a media startup fits into OpenAI’s core businesses selling ChatGPT, Codex, and a new super app the company is developing to consumers and enterprises. In March, OpenAI’s CEO of applications, Fidji Simo, told staff in an all-hands meeting that the company needed to cancel its side projects and refocus around its core businesses.In a memo to staff announcing the acquisition, Simo said the typical communications playbook does not apply to OpenAI. “We're not a typical company,” she said in the memo, which was also published as a blog. “We're driving a really big technological shift. And with the mission of bringing AGI to the world comes ...