Sam Altman: "In the AI era, companies must pursue exponential growth with bold challenges."

Sam Altman identified the emergence of AI as the biggest change in the startup environment. He assessed that AI has completely transformed the scope and speed of what can be achieved with a small number of people. Things unimaginable in the past are now possible, and the strategies for competitiveness in this changed world have also completely shifted. He added that it's astonishing to imagine what a 10-week-old startup would look like now, asserting that it would be difficult to succeed with the methods of 10 years ago.

He emphasized that while the phrase 'doing great things with few people' was often used before, it now carries a much greater meaning. AI is not merely a tool for increasing efficiency; it has changed the very nature of what companies can do. Altman stressed that in this changing landscape, companies must adopt new approaches to survive and thrive.

Altman stated that it's crucial to recognize the ripple effect of these technological changes and formulate strategies appropriate for the new era. He conveyed the message that companies should maximize the possibilities offered by AI and pursue innovative challenges, breaking away from conventional practices.

Sam Altman pointed out that most AI startups currently choose the relatively easy path of 'building enterprise vertical AI agents.' While this approach might achieve some success, he predicted that it would be difficult to become the most successful startup of the era amidst fierce competition. He expressed surprise at the scarcity of startups willing to take on 'insane challenges' with entirely new tools in a rapidly changing environment.

Altman emphasized the need for a willingness to truly embrace the fact that scaling laws will continue, preparing for what will be possible in two, four years, and embarking on bold challenges. Beyond simple efficiency improvements, he urged pursuing game-changing innovations by maximizing AI's potential. He explained that a forward-looking vision and audacious execution are key to success in the AI era.

Sam Altman stressed that belief in exponential growth is paramount for startup founders. He assessed that the current market is not fully adapted to the exponential growth of young founders or model advancements showing high growth rates. This suggests that investors are not yet keeping pace with the rapid development of AI technology.

In this situation, Altman advised that it's fine to start now if the goal is to develop smarter or cheaper models. He conveyed the message that it's important to anticipate future technological developments and invest in advance, encouraging innovation despite the market's conservative outlook.

Sam Altman stated that OpenAI's mission is 'to create unpredictable but marvelous AI that empowers people greatly.' He emphasized that it's crucial for the world's power to be more decentralized and widespread, pointing out that AI authoritarianism is one of the AI risks he is most concerned about. He expressed the view that it would be very bad if a few individuals or companies controlled the world through AI.

In light of this mission, Altman said he believes OpenAI must find ways to make AI very abundant, very cheap, and very powerful, putting it into everyone's hands and encouraging widespread use. This reflects the philosophy that the benefits of AI technology should not be limited to a specific segment but should extend to all humanity.

He expressed deep concern about the potential risks AI poses, while also emphasizing social responsibility to ensure technological progress moves in a positive direction for humanity. He stressed the need for efforts to guide AI in a desirable direction, recognizing that it can affect social structures and power distribution beyond mere technological advancement.

Altman hoped that AI would become a universal tool, maximizing individual capabilities and ultimately contributing to a freer and more prosperous society. To this end, he added that OpenAI would continue both technological development and social discourse to find answers regarding the ethical use of AI.

From his perspective on current business, Sam Altman stated that the most important invention in the industrial revolution was not technology itself, but the 'joint-stock company.' He analyzed that the joint-stock company dramatically increased human productivity by pooling capital, diversifying risk, and enabling large-scale projects.

This can be interpreted to mean that merely introducing new technology is not enough; it must be supported by social and institutional innovations that can effectively utilize and disseminate the technology. It also suggests that in the AI era, there is a need to consider new organizational forms or collaboration methods alongside technological development.

Altman's remarks emphasize the importance of social systems that embrace and develop technology, not just technological innovation, offering insight into what changes companies and society should seek with the advent of the AI era.

He predicted that just as the invention of the joint-stock company ignited the industrial revolution, in the AI era, new forms of collaboration and distribution systems will be important alongside technological tools. He conveyed the message that beyond simply developing AI, it's necessary to create structures that allow AI to have a positive impact across society.

Sam Altman emphasized that we are currently in a 'decisive moment' regarding the changes AI will bring. He explained that this period, much like when OpenAI started 10 years ago, is a crucial crossroads where the future direction could go one way or another. This means that humanity's future could vary greatly depending on the development and utilization of AI.

He warned that the choices made at this time could either maximize the benefits AI brings to humanity or, conversely, lead to unforeseen dangers. Therefore, he stressed the need for a cautious and wise approach to maximize AI's potential while minimizing possible side effects.

Altman urged not only technology developers but also policymakers and ordinary citizens to participate in serious contemplation and discussion about the future of AI during this decisive period. He conveyed the message that everyone's wisdom must be gathered to guide AI in a positive direction for humanity.

Sam Altman revealed that he sends more text messages than anyone he knows. He stated that he exchanges messages with 300-400 people a day, adding that he doesn't think it's a good habit. He frankly confessed that it's closer to a bad habit, consuming most of his time and leaving him with very short periods of concentration.

These remarks highlight the issues of excessive connectivity and information overload in modern society. For busy leaders like Altman, communication with numerous people is essential, but it can simultaneously erode personal focus and time. He acknowledged this duality of digital communication and expressed the need for improvement.

Sam Altman recalled a situation about three years ago, just after GPT-4 was launched, when the world was in chaos and everyone was terrified. He stated that world leaders at the time discussed whether to control and shut down this technology, or whether AI was waking up on its own. Altman explained that the pace of technological development was so fast that people didn't have time to understand and adapt to the situation.

He said that world leaders requested to meet him, and he had a hunch that if he or someone from his company didn't directly step up and talk to people, things would go very badly. Based on this judgment, he decided to travel the world, meeting leaders from various countries to explain GPT-4's development background, goals, and potential impact, aiming to clear up misunderstandings and build trust.

Altman's actions demonstrate the recognition that as advanced technology's impact on society grows, technology developers must communicate with a sense of social responsibility. This serves as an example emphasizing the importance of seeking social consensus and understanding, beyond mere technological development.

He believed that the confusion at the time stemmed from vague fears about technology and a lack of information, and that direct communication to provide accurate information and alleviate concerns was the best approach. He added that this experience became a catalyst for OpenAI to actively participate in policy and social discussions alongside technology development.

Sam Altman acknowledged that his decision-making process has changed amidst a busy life. He admitted that he is not proficient in this area and believes the correct answer is to spend a lot of time explaining and persuading people. He confessed that while he was more adept at debate and persuasion in the past, life has become so busy that he now more often says directly, 'We are going to do this.'

He stated that he doesn't consider this change a positive trait and wishes to return to the previous method of sufficient discussion. This demonstrates an effort to balance his role as a leader with personal reflection. It shows that he recognizes the importance of effective communication and involving team members, even amidst a packed schedule.

Sam Altman stated that he is 'not ready to talk yet' about OpenAI's next steps. He said he is really excited about the next stage and believes he has figured out how to align what he does well and passionately with the next phase of 10x, 100x growth. This suggests that OpenAI is currently at a critical turning point or accelerating the development of next-generation technology.

His remarks hint that OpenAI is preparing for another innovative leap, raising great expectations for the future of AI. Altman, without revealing specific details, expressed confidence in his ability to combine personal capabilities with the company's vision to drive explosive growth.

This statement indicates the possibility that OpenAI is working on projects with the potential to fundamentally change human life, beyond mere technological development. The next announcement is expected to attract global attention.

Sam Altman recalled the time ChatGPT surpassed one million users, stating that when a colleague congratulated him, he instead said, 'You have no idea how bad this is going to be. You have no idea what's about to happen. It's not just bad for me, it's bad for you.' He described feeling like they were in a cannon, about to be fired, whereas before the OpenAI team had been living a good, quiet life.

This reveals Sam Altman's deep concern about the social impact and responsibility that ChatGPT's explosive success would bring. It encapsulates his contemplation of the technology's immense potential, alongside the unpredictable changes and chaos that could arise. It shows he was aware of the weight of the technology's influence on society, beyond merely an increase in users.

Sam Altman argued that even with the advent of the AI era, we will not be less busy but rather more so. He added that none of the people he knows have become less busy because of AI; everyone is doing more work. This suggests a perspective that AI will not completely replace human labor but rather enable humans to focus on more complex and higher-level tasks, increasing overall productivity and activity.

However, Altman noted that the field of mathematics might be an exception to this trend. He mentioned that mathematics is an important example that needs to be studied very closely right now, and it might not go in this direction. He said he would actually like to say that it probably won't, but he maintained the general prediction that everyone will get busier even as systems get better.

Altman predicted that we will be much busier even in a post-superintelligence world, still complaining but secretly happy. This implies that humans have an innate nature to constantly pursue and achieve new challenges, and it carries a positive outlook that AI will contribute to fulfilling these human desires.

Sam Altman emphasized that even in the AI era, the values we cherish will be 'very human things.' He used cooking for others as an example, explaining that while it doesn't create much value in the world, it is an act of showing love. He predicted that even after robots become capable of excellent work, the acts of people cooking and eating together will remain important for a long time.

This demonstrates a belief that no matter how advanced AI becomes, the inherent human emotions, relationships, and direct interactions cannot be replaced. It conveys the message that while technology can maximize efficiency and productivity, human warmth and connection will still occupy a significant part of life.

Sam Altman shared an anecdote from the development of Codex, stating that at the time, OpenAI was so far behind competitors in cloud code that trying to beat them with a coding app seemed like an 'insane suicide mission.' He added that the general consensus was that such an attempt would never succeed, and they should move on to other projects.

He said that while the prevailing notion was that it was foolish to try to win when someone else already had momentum in a specific product category, the OpenAI team believed Codex was truly important. He asked the team to do it, and he assessed that they achieved something legitimately incredible, very rare in business history. This shows that OpenAI, undeterred by the general market trend, embarked on a bold challenge, believing in their own vision and potential.

Sam Altman identified OpenAI's core strategy as 'stopping other projects to focus on what's working well.' He stated that when GPT-3 started working well, they halted other interesting projects like robotics and concentrated all their efforts on GPT-3.

Similarly, he explained that more recently, when coding agents began to work, they also stopped very exciting projects like Sora and browsers to focus on coding agents. Altman acknowledged that these decisions are very difficult but emphasized that they are essential strategies for most effectively utilizing limited resources and personnel.

This demonstrates that OpenAI adheres strictly to the principle of 'selection and concentration,' setting clear priorities and boldly investing in proven potential for success in developing innovative technology. This strategy is implied to have led OpenAI to its current success.

Sam Altman said he feels fortunate to have worked with Jony Ive and learned a great deal from him. In particular, he explained that he was greatly influenced by Ive's method of deeply studying a problem until it was fully understood, before trying to solve it and without thinking too much about solutions.

Altman stated that he considers this a core principle he had previously overlooked. He believes truly great design is much closer to understanding the problem than to a flash of insight. He advised that if one rushes into something or gets too fixated, they won't be able to do it properly.

This perspective offers important insights applicable not only to technology development or product design but to all problem-solving processes. It emphasizes that deeply understanding the essence of a problem is far more important than superficial ideas.

He added that through Jony Ive's methodology, he realized the essence of design lies in solving users' fundamental needs and problems, beyond merely creating aesthetically pleasing results. This is likely to have influenced OpenAI's product development process as well.

Sam Altman said he doesn't quite understand how the intermediate stage, or 'inspiration,' comes about from understanding a problem to deriving novel ideas. He frankly stated that the process seems to happen all at once, but it's an area he cannot comprehend.

This implies that while acknowledging the role of intuition or inspiration in the creative problem-solving process, its causal mechanism remains difficult to explain. It shows that even with rational analysis and problem understanding as prerequisites, the final creative leap remains an inexplicable, unknown territory.

Sam Altman described SoftBank's Chairman Masayoshi Son as an 'incredible person' and an 'extraordinary individual,' stating that he possesses strong convictions and confidence. He particularly emphasized that Chairman Son is not afraid of large numbers or scale, adding that there aren't many people like him in the world and we should be grateful for their existence.

Altman added that Chairman Son seems to have always been that way, expressing respect for his extraordinary insight and bold leadership in not hesitating with large-scale investments. This suggests the importance of a daring vision and execution capabilities that entrepreneurs must possess in the AI era.