The Startup Podcast6 Nov 2025

Is OpenAI Evil? Reacting to Sam Altman's Latest Announcements w/ Jacob Ward

OpenAI may appear to be building the future, but are they leading the tech industry towards collapse?

In this episode, Chris and Yaniv are joined by Jacob Ward (journalist, author of The Loop and NBC Technology Correspondent) to break down OpenAI’s latest livestream and what it signals about the next era of AI. Sam Altman may talk the good talk, but his actions, and the priorities of OpenAI at large, may not align with those claims. Chris, Yaniv, and Jacob unpack these differences between words and actions, the emerging social consequences, and what it all means for the tech industry.

In this episode, you will:

Understand OpenAI’s roadmap for AI-powered research and why "AI research interns" might be closer than you think
Learn why the promise of autonomous five-year research cycles raised eyebrows
Explore the shift from ChatGPT as a product to ChatGPT as a platform, and what that means for app ecosystems
Consider the emotional and psychological dimensions of AI companionship and reliance
Evaluate the trillion-dollar infrastructure buildup underway across data centers, GPUs, and nuclear-scale power demands
Examine how OpenAI’s nonprofit arm plans to invest in disease research and AI resilience

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Key links

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The Startup Podcast website: https://www.tsp.show/episodes/

Learn more about Chris and Yaniv

Work 1:1 with Chris: http://chrissaad.com/advisory/

Follow Chris on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrissaad/

Follow Yaniv on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ybernstein/

Producer: Justin McArthur https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mcarthur

Intro Voice: Jeremiah Owyang https://web-strategist.com/

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