GoKawiilOpenAI has struck a deal to acquire TBPN, a technology-focused talk show popular in Silicon Valley, making an unexpected move into broadcasting after pledging to abandon “side quests” and focus on its core business.
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 center,” 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.