OpenAI Acquires TBPN, the Irreverent Tech Podcast With a Cult Following

OpenAI now owns the podcast known for hosting impressive guests like Mark Cuban and Mark Zuckerberg.

BY BEN SHERRY, STAFF REPORTER @BENLUCASSHERRY

Sam Altman. Illustration: Inc.; Photos: Getty Images; Adobe Stock

OpenAI has acquired popular technology podcast TBPN for an undisclosed sum. The ChatGPT creator says that the podcast’s creators and cohosts, John Coogan and Jordi Hays, will continue the show while contributing to OpenAI’s messaging and communication strategy. 

TBPN (which stands for Technology Business Programming Network) began in October 2024, and has quickly amassed a following of technology and business obsessives. Coogan and Hays livestream the show every day for three hours, starting at 11am PT, with tens of thousands of viewers watching the show. 

The show, which is known for its irreverent tone (the hosts hit a gong when a company announces a fundraise) has drawn an impressive lineup of guests in a short time, including Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg, Mark Cuban, and famed documentarian Ken Burns. 

In a statement, OpenAI CEO of Applications Fidji Simo announced that OpenAI had acquired TBPN, describing the show as “one of the places where the conversation about AI and builders is actually happening day to day.” Simo wrote that “the standard communications playbook just doesn’t apply” to OpenAI, necessitating bold strategies to “create a space for a real, constructive conversation about the changes AI creates.” 

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Rather than attempt to recreate TBPN’s magic internally, Simo added, “it made a lot of sense to bring them in, support what they’re doing, and help them scale—while keeping what makes them special.” While the show will continue to maintain editorial independence, she said, Coogan, Hays, and the broader TBPN team will also help OpenAI’s communications and marketing organizations to “innovate on how we bring AI to the world in a way that helps people understand the full impact of this technology on their daily lives.” 

In his own statement, Hays said that “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. Moving from commentary to real impact in how this technology is distributed and understood globally is incredibly important to us.” 

On today’s episode of TBPN, Coogan and Hays confirmed that the deal was not an April Fools joke, and said that they have “lots of ideas” for how to further OpenAI’s messaging and communications goals. Hays added that he’s known Altman for over a decade, and was an investor in his first company. The co-hosts also said that they will wind down their lucrative advertising business in light of their new owner.

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