OpenAI Acquires Tech Talk Show ‘TBPN’—and Buys Itself Some Positive News

LoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyOpenAI announced Thursday that it had acquired the online business talk show TBPN for an undisclosed sum. The move comes as OpenAI struggles with its public image, which has taken a significant hit in recent months. Since launching in 2024, TBPN has risen in popularity among Silicon Valley circles by offering a daily livestream about the technology industry that’s seen as more tech-friendly than traditional outlets. The show's two hosts, John Coogan and Jordi Hays, offer real-time commentary on breaking news, cycle through viral social media posts, and interview executives from companies including Meta, Salesforce, Palantir, and OpenAI. It’s become especially popular among OpenAI staff and other AI researchers, many of whom are addicted to the social media platform X. It’s hard to understand how a media startup fits into OpenAI’s core businesses selling ChatGPT, Codex, and a new super app the company is developing to consumers and enterprises. In March, OpenAI’s CEO of applications, Fidji Simo, told staff in an all-hands meeting that the company needed to cancel its side projects and refocus around its core businesses. In a memo to staff announcing the acquisition, Simo said the typical communications playbook does not apply to OpenAI. “We're not a typical company,” she said in the memo, which was also published as a blog. “We're driving a really big technological shift. And with the mission of bringing AGI to the world 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.” TBPN is a small business compared to OpenAI. The media firm says it generated $5 million in ad revenue last year and was on track to make more than $30 million in revenue in 2026, according to The Wall Street Journal. The show reportedly reaches around 70,000 viewers per episode across a variety of platforms. A source close to OpenAI says the company doesn’t expect TBPN to contribute financially to the business, though it will help with OpenAI’s communications strategy. OpenAI has fallen under increased public scrutiny in recent months. After the company signed a deal with the Department of Defense in February, Anthropic’s Claude surged in downloads and claimed the top spot among Apple’s free apps. OpenAI’s leaders are also dealing with a growing QuitGPT movement, which is made up of people who vow to never use OpenAI’s products. OpenAI president Greg Brockman cited AI’s popularity issues as a core reason for his increased political spending. The acquisition makes OpenAI the latest Silicon Valley player to try owning and operating a news business. In recent decades, there have been several notable examples of technology leaders purchasing media firms, including Jeff Bezos buying The Washington Post, Marc Benioff buying Time magazine, and Robinhood buying the newsletter company