## Tech CEOs Marvel — and Worry — About Sam Altman’s Dizzying Race to Dominate AI **Report Provider:** Business Insider **Author:** Sarah E. Needleman **Date/Time Period Covered:** Past few weeks, with projections extending to year-end and 2029. **News Identifier:** URL: https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-ceos-weigh-in-openai-chief-sam-altman-leadership-2025-10 ### Executive Summary OpenAI cofounder and CEO Sam Altman is making waves with an unprecedented pace of announcements and strategic deals, drawing both admiration and concern from fellow tech leaders. While his ambition is lauded as crucial for capitalizing on the AI revolution, some express unease about the potential impact on consumer safety. OpenAI is experiencing rapid growth, with significant revenue projections and user engagement, but also faces substantial operational costs. The company's aggressive strategy is seen by some as a calculated move to secure its dominance in the burgeoning AI market. ### Key Findings and Conclusions * **Exceptional Pace of Innovation and Dealmaking:** Sam Altman has orchestrated a flurry of significant announcements and blockbuster deals in recent weeks, demonstrating a highly ambitious strategy. * **Divergent CEO Opinions:** Tech CEOs are divided on Altman's approach. Some are awed by his ambition and recognize the critical nature of platform shifts in AI. Others express concern that the rapid pace may compromise consumer safety. * **Strategic Importance of AI:** The current AI boom is likened to the formative years of the internet and mobile computing, suggesting a monumental platform shift that requires aggressive pursuit. * **OpenAI's Growth Trajectory:** OpenAI is experiencing substantial growth, with significant revenue expectations and user engagement for its products like ChatGPT. * **High Operational Costs:** The company faces considerable expenses, particularly related to the immense computing power required for AI operations. * **Strategic Dealmaking for Compute Power:** Altman's deals with AMD and Nvidia are highlighted as crucial for securing long-term access to essential computing resources, a key aspect of negotiation strategy. * **Personal Branding as a Strategy:** Altman's use of personal branding, such as encouraging users to create videos of him, is seen as a clever tactic to enhance likability and company visibility. * **Consumer Safety Concerns:** Lawsuits and concerns from some tech leaders point to potential harms caused by AI products, raising questions about OpenAI's safety protocols. ### Key Statistics and Metrics * **Total Dealmaking This Year:** Approximately **$1 trillion** in deals signed with AMD and Nvidia. * **Sora User Acquisition:** Gained **over 1 million users** in its first five days. * **Projected Revenue by Year-End:** OpenAI expects to surpass **$13 billion** in revenue. * **ChatGPT Weekly Active Users:** More than **doubled** in the last four months to about **800 million**. * **Projected Spending Through 2029:** On track to spend **$155 billion** due to power requirements. ### Important Recommendations (Implicit) * **Embrace Momentum in AI:** The rapid pace of AI development necessitates aggressive action to capture opportunities. * **Diversify Compute Suppliers:** Securing multiple suppliers for computing power is a sound negotiation strategy to ensure competitive pricing and reliable access. * **Prioritize Consumer Safety:** While pursuing growth, there is an implicit recommendation for companies to adequately address safety concerns and implement robust safeguards. ### Significant Trends or Changes * **Accelerated AI Development:** AI is advancing at an "extraordinary clip" with a "super exponential trajectory." * **Platform Shift in Tech:** The current AI boom represents a significant platform shift, comparable to the advent of the internet and mobile computing. * **OpenAI's Expansion:** OpenAI is signaling a potential move into the enterprise software market with new AI-powered workplace tools. * **CEO Persona in Business:** A strong CEO persona is becoming increasingly important for successful companies. ### Notable Risks or Concerns * **Consumer Safety:** Lawsuits and concerns from some tech leaders highlight the potential for AI products to cause harm, with allegations of ChatGPT "actively helping" a user explore suicide methods. * **Balancing Speed and Safety:** There is a tension between moving quickly to maintain a competitive edge and ensuring adequate safety measures, leading to potential mistakes or oversights. * **"Moving Fast and Breaking Things":** Some critics argue that OpenAI is prioritizing revenue over safety, adopting a "moving fast and breaking things" approach. ### Material Financial Data * **Deal Value:** The combined value of deals with AMD and Nvidia is approximately **$1 trillion**. * **Revenue Projection:** OpenAI anticipates exceeding **$13 billion** in revenue by the end of the current year. * **Future Spending:** The company is projected to spend **$155 billion** by 2029 on operational costs, primarily for computing power. ### Verbatim Quotes * "He understands that these platform shifts come around once every decade or two decades. This is probably going to be the biggest one we've ever seen in tech." - Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, on Sam Altman's ambition. * "I can't imagine moving the speed that they're moving. It's never been seen before." - Joel Milne, CEO of AutoUnify, on OpenAI's pace. * "You have to run fast to capture the opportunity. AI is a phenomenon. It has a super exponential trajectory." - Bipul Sinha, CEO and cofounder of Rubrik, on the need for speed in AI. * "Each individually might not make a big splash, but collectively they do. It creates a network effect across multiple industries." - Ross Finman, CEO of Augmodo, on the strategy of timing multiple announcements. * "Most successful companies today have a strong CEO persona." - Joshua March, leader of Veritus Agent, on Altman's personal branding. * "They're not doing enough for safety." - Kate Doerksen, founder of Sage Haven, expressing concerns about OpenAI's safety protocols. * "Our work to make ChatGPT more helpful and strengthen its safeguards is constant and ongoing. We'll keep improving safety as we build and scale the infrastructure needed for the future." - OpenAI spokesperson. * "I can't really imagine what it's like to be in his shoes, to be the hero or the villain of this technology that everyone is talking about." - Jill Popelka, CEO of Darktrace, on Altman's unique position.
Tech CEOs marvel — and worry — about Sam Altman’s dizzying race to dominate AI
Read original at Business Insider →OpenAI cofounder and CEO Sam Altman has had an exceptionally busy past few weeks. Florian Gaertner/Photothek via Getty Images Altman's OpenAI recently made a flurry of announcements, including blockbuster deals with AMD and Nvidia. Several tech CEOs Business Insider spoke with said they were impressed by Altman's ambition.
Others said they'd prefer if he took his foot off the gas in the interest of consumer safety. Sam Altman's breakneck pace has some tech leaders awed and others uneasy.In the past few weeks alone, the OpenAI cofounder and CEO signed blockbuster computing deals with AMD and Nvidia, bringing his startup's total dealmaking this year to about $1 trillion.
The company launched Sora, an AI video app that gained more than 1 million users in its first five days, as well as Instant Checkout, a shopping feature for its ChatGPT chatbot. OpenAI also unveiled new AI-powered workplace tools that its employees are using internally, signaling a potential move into the enterprise software market.
And that's just a sampling of the San Francisco-based juggernaut's latest announcements.Altman "is one of the most ambitious founders out there," said Aaron Levie, CEO of cloud-storage company Box, who likened today's AI boom to the formative years of the internet and mobile computing. "He understands that these platform shifts come around once every decade or two decades.
This is probably going to be the biggest one we've ever seen in tech."Levie and other tech leaders observing Altman from afar told Business Insider that success in entrepreneurship demands constant momentum. Yet even by startup standards, they said Altman's torrent of activity stands out, with some calling it bold and others reckless."
I can't imagine moving the speed that they're moving," said Joel Milne, CEO of AutoUnify, a startup that makes AI-commerce applications for dealerships, marketplaces, and other vendors in the automotive industry. "It's never been seen before."'AI is a phenomenon'Going full throttle makes sense for Altman as AI is advancing at an extraordinary clip, said Bipul Sinha, CEO and cofounder of cybersecurity firm Rubrik.
"You have to run fast to capture the opportunity," he said. "AI is a phenomenon. It has a super exponential trajectory."Altman's efforts appear to be paying off. San Francisco-based OpenAI expects to surpass $13 billion in revenue by year's end, and its first mainstream product, three-year-old ChatGPT, has more than doubled its weekly active users in the last four months to about 800 million.
Still, OpenAI has significant expenses. The company is on track to spend $155 billion through 2029 due to the massive amount of power it needs to operate.By timing several major OpenAI announcements close together over the past few weeks, Altman demonstrated strategic savvy, said Ross Finman, CEO of Augmodo, a startup maker of smart badges for retail workers that have 3D cameras and AI technology baked in."
Each individually might not make a big splash, but collectively they do," said Finman, who, like Altman, attended the Silicon Valley accelerator program Y Combinator. "It creates a network effect across multiple industries."Negotiation 101Altman also deserves kudos for securing critical compute power for OpenAI for years to come with the AMD and Nvidia deals, said Art Zeile, CEO of DHI Group, the parent of job platforms Dice and ClearanceJobs."
He is diversifying the data centers he is going to use for the future," said Zeile. "Negotiation 101 is to have many suppliers so you can get the best price."Amid the frenzy, Altman played up his personal branding by inviting people to use Sora to create videos of him doing whatever they can imagine.
Some followed through by making ones showing the tech founder shoplifting and rapping. Joshua March, another Y Combinator attendee who leads the financial-services AI startup Veritus Agent, described the move as a clever way for Altman to make himself more likable."Most successful companies today have a strong CEO persona," March said.
Hero or villainNot all tech leaders are admirers of Altman. Some say they would prefer if he took his foot off the gas in the interest of consumer safety, as lawsuits allege that ChatGPT and other chatbots have harmed some users.In August, a family sued OpenAI in California state court, alleging that ChatGPT "actively helped" their son explore suicide methods over several months before he died by suicide on April 11.
OpenAI is "moving fast and breaking things in an effort to chase a ton of revenue," said Kate Doerksen, founder of the startup Sage Haven, a messaging app for kids that has AI components. "They're not doing enough for safety."A spokesperson for OpenAI noted that the company last month rolled out parental controls to help keep teens safe and a parent resource page."
Our work to make ChatGPT more helpful and strengthen its safeguards is constant and ongoing," she said. "We'll keep improving safety as we build and scale the infrastructure needed for the future."Jill Popelka, CEO of AI cybersecurity company Darktrace, sees Altman as a leader who's stuck in a unique bind.
She said that slowing down could enable his rivals to catch up to OpenAI, but moving too quickly could result in mistakes or oversights."I can't really imagine what it's like to be in his shoes," Popelka said, "to be the hero or the villain of this technology that everyone is talking about." AI Leadership Sam Altman More OpenAI Startup ChatGPT Cybersecurity Read next
