The Disruptors: Sam Altman and Brian Chesky

Aspen Ideas to Go

Technological innovations are led by people, and in this episode, the leaders of two of the most influential companies in Silicon Valley provide some insight into the human drivers of their products. Sam Altman is co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, which created the artificial intelligence tools ChatGPT and DALL-E. Brian Chesky is co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, which has revolutionized the hospitality industry. Altman and Chesky are also close friends, exchanging advice and support when the road gets bumpy, as it has at times for both. NBC News anchor Lester Holt interviews the founders about the challenges, accomplishments and responsibilities that come with charting new technological territory. This conversation was recorded at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival in June. Altman said publicly in late September that OpenAI, which was founded as a nonprofit, is considering converting to a for-profit company. The day before that announcement, three top executives resigned from the company, but Altman said those departures were unrelated. Despite internal turmoil, OpenAI reportedly raised $6.6 billion in early October, which follows a funding round of $10 billion in January.

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