OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believes AI is changing what it takes to start a business. In the past, having an idea was often not enough. Founders also needed strong technical skills, especially coding, to turn that idea into a working product. AI could now make that process much easier. Speaking to Axios, Altman said people who are good at finding problems and understanding customers can now build a business with AI even if they have little technical knowledge. He called this change the “revenge of the idea guys.”
For years, technical skills were seen as a major advantage for startup founders. Someone with a business idea would often need to find engineers to build the product. Altman believes AI is lowering this barrier.
“We would make fun of these (idea) people,” Altman told Axios, referring to people who had ideas but could not build them. “All of a sudden it’s like the revenge of the idea guys.”
Altman said technical talent is still important. However, he is now willing to support people who “can’t code at all” if they have a strong understanding of their customers and their needs.
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The OpenAI CEO also believes AI could make small businesses easier to run. Newer AI models can take on tasks that would normally require several employees with different skills. This could allow a small team, or even one person, to handle more parts of a business.
“This is gonna be the best time in the world to do a startup,” Altman said recently.
While discussing OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra, Altman said someone could potentially “start and run a small business effectively” with the model. He compared advanced AI models to having capable employees who can work across different areas.
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AI could also make niche businesses more practical. Altman reportedly gave the example of software created for a very specific group of customers. The product was said to sold to 50 customers for around $500 a month.
AI can also reduce the cost and effort needed to create a game for a small audience. Such projects may not have been financially practical before.
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