OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Reflects on TikTok Experience
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, recently opened up about his time with TikTok, admitting that he intentionally became hooked on the app to understand its features better. However, he eventually found it so engaging that he decided to delete it.
During a recent talk on the Relentless podcast, Altman explained how an effort to analyze TikTok’s recommendation system quickly turned into a personal distraction. He said, “I made myself get addicted to TikTok because I wanted to learn. I thought it was fantastic.” Initially, he believed he could manage his usage, planning to use the app just for a short time each night. But soon, he found himself scrolling for an hour one evening and spending three hours on a Saturday afternoon being drawn into its content.
Altman drew a parallel between his TikTok use and addiction, noting that while he enjoyed it, he was aware that the habit wasn’t healthy. After managing to reduce his usage to just a few minutes before bed, he ultimately decided, “Enough is enough,” and deleted the app altogether.
Changes in TikTok Ownership in the US
In recent news, TikTok’s operations in the United States have been taken over by TikTok USDS Joint Venture, which includes key players like Oracle and Silver Lake. Despite this shift, the overall global management remains under ByteDance, which still holds a 19.9% stake in the US venture. The application’s data and algorithms are now securely managed by Oracle’s cloud services.
The Journey of OpenAI’s Sora App
This reflection on TikTok comes as OpenAI has been working on its own video-focused social media platform called Sora. Even though there was a lot of excitement around Sora, including a partnership with Disney, the project was ultimately dropped after six months. Company leaders concluded that the resources needed for video processing were better used in competing with companies like Anthropic in the important area of generative AI.
