OpenAI buys tech talk show TBPN in push to shape AI narrative

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SAN FRANCISCO - OpenAI is wading into the media business by acquiring TBPN, a technology-focused talk show closely watched by Silicon Valley insiders, its hosts said Wednesday.

Co-hosts John Coogan and Jordi Hays broadcast TBPN live for three hours every weekday from Los Angeles, lining up guests that include founders, venture capitalists and major figures in the technology world.

The show -- which is broadcast on X, YouTube and Spotify -- is also known for a ritual in which the hosts bang a gong as guests announce their latest fundraising haul.

“This is not an April Fool’s joke,” Coogan said, confirming the deal at the start of their show on Thursday.

TBPN will continue broadcasting daily at its regular time, Coogan said in a post on X, adding that the acquisition represented a “full circle moment” given his long-standing ties to OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman.

“He funded my first company in 2013,” Coogan wrote, tracing a relationship with Altman that spanned stints at Y Combinator -- the startup incubator where Altman served as president.

Coogan also worked at venture capital giant Founders Fund, where he said the first deal he encountered was OpenAI’s post-ChatGPT funding round in late 2022.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

OpenAI chief of strategy Fidji Simo said in an internal message to staff that the acquisition would help the company engage more authentically with the public at a pivotal moment for artificial intelligence.

“We’re driving a really big technological 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 AI creates,” she wrote.

Simo said TBPN “will continue to run their programming, choose their guests, and make their own editorial decisions. That’s foundational to their credibility, and it’s something we’re explicitly protecting as part of this agreement.”