Sam Altman’s ego was OpenAI’s downfall

The I watch OpenAI, the convinced I become that Sam Altman’s ego was the beginning of the company’s decline. OpenAI did not become huge because Altman was some once-in-a-generation operator. It became huge because ChatGPT was a once-in-a-generation product. There is a difference. The company stumbled into one of the most important consumer tech moments since the iPhone, rode the sheer shock value of that innovation, and then somehow convinced itself that the person sitting on top of the rocket must have designed the laws of physics. OpenAI’s first real advantage was novelty.