OpenAI moves from AI tools to media influence with TBPN deal

The ChatGPT-maker had purchased the 11-person company in a “low hundreds of millions of dollars” deal, according to a person with knowledge of the terms.

TBPN, or Technology Business Programming Network, has acquired a devoted following among start-up founders and their investors since its launch in October 2024.

Co-hosts and self-styled “technology brothers” Jordi Hays and John Coogan have interviewed Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI founder Sam Altman, becoming a fixture at tech conferences.

Fidji Simo, who runs OpenAI’s product business, told staff on Thursday that TBPN was “one of the places where the conversation about AI and builders is actually happening day to day”.

Coogan and Hays had built “a space for a real, constructive conversation about the changes AI creates — with builders and people using the technology at the centre”, she added.

In a separate memo last month, Simo urged staff to zero in on primary business lines including ChatGPT and coding tools for business customers. “We cannot miss this moment because we are distracted by side quests,” she wrote.

One person close to OpenAI dismissed the idea that the deal was a distraction for a company competing against Google and Anthropic. “Researchers and engineers will not devote time to this and it’s not a new product, so it’s not a side quest,” they said.

TBPN averages about 70,000 viewers per daily episode and was on course to generate around $30mn in revenue this year, largely from advertising, before the deal, according to the person with knowledge of the terms.

OpenAI said TBPN would remain in Los Angeles and continue to be editorially independent, despite its new owners being among the most recognisable AI companies in the world and a competitor to a number of the talk show’s existing advertisers.

“While we’ve been critical of the industry at times, after getting to know Sam and the OpenAI team, what stood out most was their openness to feedback and commitment to getting this right,” said Hays. “Moving from commentary to real impact in how this technology is distributed and understood globally is incredibly important to us.”

Hays and his team would report to OpenAI’s head of global affairs, Chris Lehane, and “help with marketing and communications at OpenAI but keep their editorial independence”, the company said.