OpenAI has announced the acquisition of TBPN, a fast-growing media company focused on daily conversations about technology, business, and artificial intelligence. The move is aimed at accelerating how discussions about AI are shaped and shared globally, particularly among builders, users, and industry leaders.
TBPN, known for its live weekday programming and strong presence across platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, and X, has built a reputation for convening influential voices in the tech ecosystem. The company’s content has become a go-to source for real-time commentary on AI developments and broader industry trends.
As part of the acquisition, TBPN will continue to operate with editorial independence, maintaining control over its programming, guest selection, and content decisions. This independence is being preserved to ensure credibility and authenticity as the platform scales under OpenAI.
The TBPN team will join OpenAI’s Strategy organization and report to Chris Lehane. In addition to continuing its media operations, the team is expected to contribute to OpenAI’s broader communications and marketing efforts, helping the company better engage global audiences and explain the real-world impact of AI technologies.
OpenAI leadership emphasized that traditional corporate communication models are insufficient for the scale of transformation AI represents. By integrating TBPN’s storytelling and audience expertise, the company aims to foster a more open, constructive, and informed dialogue around artificial intelligence and its societal implications.
TBPN, founded by Jordi Hays and John Coogan, has quickly gained traction across the tech community, with The New York Times recently describing it as “Silicon Valley’s newest obsession.” The company has positioned itself at the center of daily conversations about innovation, startups, and AI.
The acquisition reflects OpenAI’s broader effort to shape not just the development of AI, but also how it is understood and discussed worldwide.
KEY QUOTES
“I’m excited to share that we’ve acquired TBPN. This acquisition brings a team with strong editorial instincts, deep audience understanding, and a proven ability to convene influential voices across tech, business, and culture. As I’ve been thinking about the future of how we communicate at OpenAI, one thing that’s become clear is that the standard communications playbook just doesn’t apply to us. We’re not a typical company. We’re driving a really big technological shift. And with our mission to ensure artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity comes a responsibility to help create a space for a real, constructive conversation about the changes AI creates, with builders and people using the technology at the center. That’s exactly what TBPN has built. So rather than trying to recreate that ourselves, 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. A core part of this is editorial independence. TBPN will continue to run their programming, choose their guests, and make their own editorial decisions. That’s foundational to their credibility, and it’s something we’re explicitly protecting as part of this agreement. I’m also excited to bring their amazing comms and marketing instincts to the team. They’ve helped many brands market online and because they have a strong pulse on where the industry is going, their comms and marketing ideas have really impressed me. I can’t wait to leverage their talent outside of the show 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.”
Fidji Simo, CEO of Applications at OpenAI
“Over the past year, we’ve had a front-row seat not just to OpenAI, but to the entire ecosystem, covering the daily news, announcements, and launches in real time. 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.”
Jordi Hays, Co-Founder and Co-Host of TBPN
