zlacker

The mainstream media cartel is pumping Sam Altman hard for some reason. Just from today (CNBC): "Sam Altman wows lawmakers at closed AI dinner: ‘Fantastic…forthcoming’" [1]. When was the last time you saw MSM suck up so hard to a Silicon Valley CEO? I see stories like this all the time now. They always play up the angle of the geeky wizzkid (so innocent!), whereas Sam Altman was always less a technologist and more of a relentless operator and self-promotor. Even Paul Graham subtly called that out, at the time he made him head of YC [2].

True to form, these articles also work hard at planting the idea that Sam Altman created OpenAI, when in fact he joined rather recently, in a business role. Are these articles being planted somehow? I find it very likely. Don't forget that this approach is also straight out of the YC playbook, disclosed in great detail by Paul Graham in previous writings [3].

Finally, in keeping with the conspiratorial tone of this comment, for another example of Sam Altman rubbing shoulders with The Establishment, his participation in things like the Bilderberg group [4] are a matter of public record. Which I join many others in finding creepy, even moreso as he maneuvers to exert influence on policy around the seismic shift that is AI.

To be clear, I have nothing specific against sama. But I dislike underhanded influence campaigns, which this all reeks of. Oh yeah, I will consider downvotes to this comment as proof of the shadow (AI?) government's campaign to promote Sam Altman. Do your worst!

[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2023/05/16/openai-ceo-woos-lawmakers-ah...

[2] https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/10/sam-altmans-ma... ("Graham said, “I asked Sam in our kitchen, ‘Do you want to take over YC?,’ and he smiled, like, it worked. I had never seen an uncontrolled smile from Sam. It was like when you throw a ball of paper into the wastebasket across the room—that smile.”")

[3] http://www.paulgraham.com/submarine.html

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Bilderberg_Conference

>>johnyz+(OP)
> True to form, these articles also work hard at planting the idea that Sam Altman created OpenAI, when in fact he joined rather recently, in a business role. Are these articles being planted somehow? I find it very likely. Don't forget that this approach is also straight out of the YC playbook, disclosed in great detail by Paul Graham in previous writings [3].

Is this true? I've been working in the industry for a while and Sam Altman has long been mentioned in reference to OpenAI along with Ilya.

I agree with the crux of your comment that everyone is scrambling to build narratives, but I think I would also put your comment "AI is busy cozying up with The Establishment" as just another narrative (and one that we saw in this hearing from people like Hawley).

>>johnyz+(OP)
Appreciate the references you provide in this comment.

>>johnyz+(OP)
>The mainstream media cartel is pumping Sam Altman hard for some reason.

The media likes to personalize stories. Altman is a face for AI and apparently knows to give an interview, that's worth something to them. (Lobbying may well be an influence, but the most important thing to them is to have a face, just like Zuckerman was a face for social networks. If it wasn't Altman it would have eventually been someone else).

>>johnyz+(OP)
I'm willing to follow dang if they decide to ditch HN and reboot it someplace separate from YC.