OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is now again in headlines for his bold statements on AI. During a conversation with Tyler podcast, Altman stated that he would take pride in being replaced by an AI, even if that means that AI eventually runs OpenAI itself. He stated that if OpenAI isn’t the first major company led by an AI chief executive, it would be a missed opportunity.
“Shame on me if OpenAI is not the first big company run by an AI CEO,” Altman stated, adding that he often reflects on what it would take for an AI system to outperform him at his job. According to him, that scenario could unfold within “single-digit years,” as AI continues to evolve rapidly enough to manage critical company operations.
Over the years, the OpenAI boss has been vocal about the disruptive nature of automation, acknowledging that while AI will initially eliminate several jobs and create new ones as the innovation progresses.
At the OpenAI DevDay event earlier this year, Altman argued that perceptions of real work change over the time.“A farmer from fifty years ago might not recognise what you and I do as real work,” he said, suggesting that while AI will shift job landscapes, such transitions have always been part of industrial revolutions.
In another interview, he once stated that he has already imagined life beyond OpenAI, one that’s far from Silicon Valley. “I have a farm that I live on some of the time, and I really love it,” he said, recalling his time spent driving tractors and growing produce before ChatGPT’s rise transformed his daily life.
In the meantime, many tech companies are restructuring their workforce, laying off thousands of employees to automate the process. IBM, for example, has already automated parts of its HR operations and redirected hiring toward AI and software roles, while Amazon and Microsoft have announced massive layoffs in recent times.