Sam Altman explains how Airbnb's chief helped OpenAI grow
What's the story
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has publicly acknowledged the pivotal role played by Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, in the swift expansion of his company. In a recent interview at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Altman revealed that Chesky provided invaluable guidance as OpenAI navigated its growth phase following the global success of its product, ChatGPT. He highlighted Chesky's hands-on approach and practical advice as key factors in OpenAI's development.
Mentorship impact
Chesky's involvement in OpenAI's success story
Altman detailed how Chesky would spend hours every week, providing him with a list of tasks and areas to focus on. "Brian was the person who would just sit down with me, for like three hours every other week, and give me a list and say, 'Here's the five things you got to do now. Here's where you're behind, here's what you're screwing up, here's what you got to proactively do, here's what you got to think about,'" Altman said.
User surge
ChatGPT breaks records with rapid user growth
ChatGPT launched publicly and within five days it had attracted over one million users. By January 2023, it had amassed 100 million monthly active users. According to CNBC Make It, this made ChatGPT the fastest-growing consumer application in history. As OpenAI experienced this rapid growth, Chesky became a trusted advisor to Altman who admitted that Chesky was "almost always right," and he learned to "always shut up and follow the advice."
Strategic counsel
Guidance beyond operational advice
Chesky's mentorship to Altman extended beyond operational advice. He also assisted with strategic decisions such as hiring and mapping out the company's strategy. Recently, Chesky emphasized the need for Altman to consider more deeply the political implications of OpenAI's generative AI technology. Acknowledging this insight, Altman admitted that he was "probably not thinking enough" about these political consequences of their AI technology.