OpenAI acquires tech news show TBPN; Fidji Simo says the move aims to “help create a space for a real, constructive conversation about the changes AI creates”

TBPN staff will help with marketing and communications at OpenAI but keep their editorial independence, the ChatGPT parent says

Wall Street Journal 2026-04-02 Katie Deighton

Discussion

@johncoogan John Coogan on x
OpenAI acquires popular tech news show TBPN; the show will stay the same and will continue to air live at 11am PT weekdays
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
this quote from OpenAI gives away the game [image]
@hadas_gold Hadas Gold on x
This is insane
@ericnewcomer Eric Newcomer on x
surprised they're announcing this the day after April Fools
@mgsiegler M.G. Siegler on x
The old pivot-from-video to one video podcast move. Classic.
@mikebutcher Mike Butcher on x
Good for them I guess but I don't see how they maintain independence https://www.wsj.com/...
@jessicalessin Jessica Lessin on x
No words... or I just can't think of them yet. https://www.wsj.com/...
@andrewcurran_ Andrew Curran on x
OpenAI has bought TBPN. [image]
@doubleohkevin Kevin on bluesky
OpenAI is not in the tech business, it's a marketing company. [embedded post]
@hshaban Hamza Shaban on x
OpenAI Buys Tech-Industry Talk Show TBPN 1)everything is becoming TV 2)tech execs/VC's complaining about journalism being too negative are “going direct” or doing friendly long-form podcasts...why not just buy the podcast 3)AI firms are doing a tech giant soft power speed run [im…
@sama Sam Altman on x
TBPN is my favorite tech show. We want them to keep that going and for them to do what they do so well. I don't expect them to go any easier on us, am sure I'll do my part to help enable that with occasional stupid decisions.
@sarafischer Sara Fischer on x
🚨 OpenAI acquires TBPN “TBPN under OpenAI will wind down its advertising business, which saw co-founders and hosts John Coogan and Jordi Hays read commercials aloud radio-host-style and don racing jackets emblazoned with sponsors' logos.” https://www.wsj.com/...
@alexweprin Alex Weprin on x
Pleased to announce that I am launching a new video business podcast* *Contingent on it being acquired by a giant company for nine figures, or eight figures if you really insist.
@levie Aaron Levie on x
Everyone's missing the point. OpenAI can now harvest TBPN guest content for training data to automate CEOs out of jobs. It's over.
@maxwelltani Max Tani on x
I do however applaud Sam Altman for immediately recognizing the value of a media property where my tweets are discussed at length...
@maxwelltani Max Tani on x
Fascinating media deal. Seems like it would present an immediate problem with guest booking and advertising - if you compete with OpenAI, why would you boost a competitor...
@ericnewcomer Eric Newcomer on x
watching tbpn live for the first time. vibes are a little off. feels a little defensive? surprised they aren't mostly talking about the deal... i get that it's hard to talk about for 3 hours. they don't have someone from openai to come on?
@ti_morse Ti Morse on x
@johncoogan @sama Absolute killers. Sadly Elon can never go on TBPN now 😂
@absoluttig John Luttig on x
through tbpn, coogan and jordi showed that media doesn't need to be cynical to win viewers, instead giving the tech industry the positivity that it sorely needed. it is hard to beat people that are having the most fun. big win for both them and OAI
@jordihays Jordi Hays on x
Technology business as usual!
@loudmouthjulia Julia Alexander on x
Prominent media investor told me something a while back that stuck with me (paraphrasing): “two types of founders - ones who know when to sell and ones who hold on for too long. If your company trades on cool, better to know that legitimate cool factor goes away very, very fast.”
@hadas_gold Hadas Gold on x
This was... 2 weeks ago? Now OpenAI is buying a daily 3-hour show. https://www.wsj.com/... [image]
@joannastern Joanna Stern on x
I swear I just checked the calendar to see if it was still April 1.
@eriktorenberg Erik Torenberg on x
The future of marketing is buying creators/media properties
@tbpn @tbpn on x
OpenAI Acquires TBPN https://x.com/...
@alexrkonrad Alex Konrad on x
every tech podcaster about to call whomever they know at Meta “just to check in”
@ericnewcomer Eric Newcomer on x
isn't being a neutral ground a key part of the value of the show for watchers? are they mostly getting bought for strategic know-how or for the show itself
@miles_brundage Miles Brundage on x
TBPN acquired by OpenAI 80,000 Hours Podcast acquired by Anthropic Nick Fuentes acquired by xAI
@aagave Andrew A. Rosen on x
Good for @tbpn for cashing out quickly. Business rationale makes sense. Long-term I think it's a mistake. This is a moment where you want to have relationships with more advertisers than fewer.
@bdanweiss Ben Weiss on x
i now understand that the proliferation of live daily shows in the journalism industry is all an attempt for media orgs to get acquired by openai
@samfbiddle Sam Biddle on x
OpenAI acquiring TBPN seems like a real “Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?” situation to me
@lindsmccallum Lindsay McCallum Rémy on x
Having worked closely with @DylanAbruscato @johncoogan @jordihays and the TBPN team over the past year, I couldn't be more excited to see @OpenAI supporting new media in such a big way. AI is moving fast, and the old comms playbook just isn't enough. We need to support better
@taylorlorenz Taylor Lorenz on x
OpenAI said one more side quest
@danshipper Dan Shipper on x
whoa!!! amazing, congrats to the team!
@jaltma Jack Altman on x
@johncoogan @sama wow i love this, congrats everyone
@mjnblack Julia Black on x
AS I WAS SAYING about OpenAI's shifting comms strategy lol https://www.wsj.com/...
@ricburton Richard Burton on x
Joe Rogan selling out to Spotify was terrible This is even more confusing 🫤
@pitdesi Sheel Mohnot on x
OpenAI bought TBPN! They'll report to chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane and help with communications and marketing, but retain editorial independence. They'll wind down their killer ad business. congrats @jordihays @johncoogan @DylanAbruscato! [image]
@austin_rief Austin Rief on x
Wow. To sell a highly profitable independent media company like TBPN, the price must have been insanely high. [image]
@rpnickson Roberto Nickson on x
Editorial instinct, narrative + distribution will become increasingly important in tech. Congratulations to @jordihays @johncoogan @DylanAbruscato @RealProducerBen and crew. TBPN is a one-of-one, generational brand. Phenomenal execution 👏
@edzitron Ed Zitron on x
feels like the top is here or very close to it
@willmanidis Will Manidis on x
many people are saying we're in the deal guy yuga, many are saying
@scobleizer Robert Scoble on x
Everyone else pays influencers. OpenAI just bought the most important technology journalism firm. Smart. Content is going to decide a lot about the future. OpenAI just bought the best.
@nicholas_shawa Nicholas Shawa on x
Hats off to some of the greatest entrepreneurs and leaders I've had the privilege of knowing. @johncoogan and @jordihays it has been an honor. Excited for more. So grateful for our @tbpn family
@dylanabruscato Dylan Abruscato on x
TBPN will remain an independent platform for founders to share news, launch products, and interact with the most engaged audience in tech. We'll maintain full editorial control while working with OpenAI to scale the show's reach and production. See you at 11a PT, every weekday.
@zebulgar Delian on x
TBPN HAS BEEN ACQUIRED BY OPENAI WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE GOOD WORK GENTLEMEN, WHAT A RUN
@dylanabruscato Dylan Abruscato on x
OpenAI is acquiring TBPN This has been a dream job and the show only gets better from here [image]
@jordihays Jordi Hays on x
TBPN has been acquired by OpenAI The world is changing quickly but TBPN will stay the same. Live every weekday just with a lot more resources. Thank you to everyone that has been a part of this journey big or small. We are 17 months in and unironically just getting started. [imag…
@isolyth.dev @isolyth.dev on bluesky
OpenAI has bought... TBPN... Which seems to be a podcast? Or sorry, a “live tech talk show”. Kinda feels like they just don't know what to do with their billions at this point
@caseynewton Casey Newton on bluesky
About 10 minutes after announcing that it was time to cut back on side projects and pivot to the enterprise, OpenAI has acquired a media company 🤔 openai.com/index/openai...
@joshsternberg.com Josh Sternberg on bluesky
OpenAI getting into the content game, buying TBPN, “an online talk show that aims to compete with Bloomberg and CNBC in by-the-minute analysis of technology news and executive interviews.” — www.wsj.com/cmo-today/op...
r/OpenAI r on reddit
OpenAI Buys Tech-Industry Talk Show TBPN
@davidu David Ulevitch on x
Huge kudos to @johncoogan @jordihays and the entire @tbpn crew. Talking about the future with the people making it happen is a winning strategy, and immensely enjoyable content. Congrats!
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
interesting... as part of negotiations with OpenAI, TBPN has a “Commitment to Editorial Independence” written into the contract, which states the following: [image]
@eric_seufert Eric Seufert on x
Congratulations to the @tbpn team. The lesson in TBPN's popularity is that the public wants a reason to celebrate the American technology sector. Much of the tech media landscape has drifted toward a kind of baleful, sardonic pessimism. But the technology sector is the jewel [ima…
@buccocapital @buccocapital on x
Does Dario have the courage to do what needs to be done? [image]
@cjc Cristina Cordova on x
“Why sponsor the show when you can just own it?” — @sama, probably.
@kevinakwok Kevin Kwok on x
The new earned media is owned media
@paris.nyc Paris Martineau on bluesky
the AI bubble has officially reached the stage where they're just doing state sponsored media now www.wsj.com/cmo-today/op... [image]
@alexshultz Alex Shultz on bluesky
In light of the news that OpenAI is acquiring TBPN and pledging “editorial independence,” here are a few snippets of a TBPN interview from October '25, when the TBPN hosts fawned over Sora to Sam Altman and Bill Peebles — openai.com/index/openai... [images]
@jbsdc Justin Slaughter on x
Begun, the Podcast Acquihire Wars have.
@mukund M Mohan on x
By when do you think @openAI dumps TBPN when it realizes $BZFDW is the same shi* as TBPN content is a brutal business. Waste of time. I suspect the founders of TBPN will struggle and “buy themselves out of OpenAI after they get some form of exit”. This is a waste of time
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
i think this sets a price floor for dwarkesh, fridman, sundberg etc when other tech ceos start to get jealous that their favorite show belongs to sam altman time to see if the rest of bigtech starts pulling out their checkbooks....
@mikeisaac Rat King on x
OpenAI buying TBPN story is, to me, the biggest proof point yet of CEO frustration with mainstream media coverage of tech at a time when consumers are growing increasingly skeptical of the effects of AI on society i see this as a marketing expense https://www.nytimes.com/...
@harrymccracken.com Harry McCracken on bluesky
As I never tire of mentioning, Microsoft seriously considered buying PC Magazine not long after it launched in 1982. www.wsj.com/cmo-today/op...
@grantbrisbee Grant Brisbee on bluesky
The Roundtable was also in these talks, but Andy kept saying “retaaaaainer” until they walked out [embedded post]
@caseynewton Casey Newton on bluesky
For that kind of money you could employ a handful of AI researchers! [embedded post]
@oracularhades.com Josh on bluesky
“editorially independent” lol i smell bullshit [embedded post]
@edzitron.com Ed Zitron on bluesky
very very strange. Why would TBPN sell? Other to cash out of course. They were already an egregious AI booster! [embedded post]
@pkafka Peter Kafka on x
Like the CBS/Bari Weiss/Free Press deal, this is one traditional media companies would love to make but could never pencil out. The way you make it work is by not caring about what it costs, because you're one of the richest people in the world.
@pkafka Peter Kafka on x
People keep telling me the OpenAi/TBPN deal is crazy and makes no sense and I think they're overthinking it. https://www.businessinsider.com/ ...
@neilcybart Neil Cybart on x
OpenAI just bought TBPN 1) I doubt this is about the podcast itself as there is no reason for OpenAI to buy a tech podcast. In addition, the TBPN podcast will now face new headwinds as they officially lose their independence. For example, I'm skeptical Mark Zuckerberg will want
@masnick.com Mike Masnick on bluesky
I spent most of my day recording podcasts, and on the last one, before we started my guest told me that this had happened and my first thought was “wait, is there some other TBPN?” because... what? [embedded post]
@ajs Alyson Shontell on x
A lot of being a successful startup is knowing when to sell. I think we could look back on this as the Huffington Post-aol moment for creators
@jessicalessin Jessica Lessin on x
“Elon has X. Altman has TBPN.”
@jason @jason on x
Excited to announce we've sold All In to Anthropic for $700m Looking forward to working with @DarioAmodei! 😂😂😂
@austinc3301 Agus on x
Honestly ridiculous. It's impossible for them to maintain their editorial independence, but if that wasn't enough, they'll be managed by Chris Lehane, who is essentially OpenAI's chief political lobbying officer:
@gazorp5 @gazorp5 on x
This is 100% Fidji's doing. OG Facebookers will remember how much money she wasted on Facebook Watch Originals when she was head of video.
@thezvi Zvi Mowshowitz on x
The problem, alas, is that even though I actually believe @sama wants this, that is not how it works.
@shakeelhashim Shakeel on x
Sorry, how do you plan to retain “full editorial control” while reporting to the company's chief lobbyist?
@neillewisjr Neil Lewis, Jr on bluesky
Today in billionaires buying the media outlets that cover them: — www.cnbc.com/2026/04/02/o...
@parkerortolani.com Parker Ortolani on bluesky
OpenAI buying TBPN is genius, crazy, but genius. www.wsj.com/cmo-today/op...

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OpenAI acquires tech news show TBPN; Fidji Simo says the move aims to “help create a space for a real, constructive conversation about the changes AI creates”

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