You’ve just arrived in Dayton, Ohio, after a long, overnight flight from SFO. While waiting during your layover in Denver, you checked your phone and saw the news: Sam Altman has been reinstated as CEO of OpenAI after nearly a week of confusion.
On the bright side, the Slack workspace at your tech startup will soon be free from an onslaught of memes, most of which lack comedic value. While your colleagues are brilliant coders, their sense of humor might need some work. Although you’re living your Silicon Valley dream, returning home to your roots always feels refreshing.
Mom: “Oh, my one and only child! I’m so glad you’re home! San Francisco feels so far away!”
You embrace your mom and express how wonderful it is to be back. Your dad opts for a rather awkward bro hug, the type where you clasp hands and lightly pat each other on the back. You’ve been raised to express love verbally — after all, he’s the one who raised you and coached your Little League team before you switched your focus to computer science. Yet, the conditioning of manhood inhibits your ability to say "I love you."
Dad: “Busy week, huh? I saw Sam Altman is back… what exactly happened?”
Uh oh. You’d rather not dive into that. Startup life is tough, and while you enjoy your job, you yearn for a few days of relaxation away from it all.
“Oh, yeah, I'll explain later. Just let me unpack!” you reply.
You head to your childhood bedroom. A "Big Bang Theory" poster catches your eye and makes you cringe; you purchased it during your middle school years. After a moment, you make your way downstairs and help your dad chop vegetables while he’s elbow-deep in turkey innards.
Suddenly, the doorbell rings, and the whole family arrives.
Uncle Steve: “Hey! Long time, no see! Think you’re too good for us now that you’re working at Facebook?”
You do the awkward bro hug again and clarify that you don’t work for Facebook anymore; it's called Meta now. You enthusiastically share about your exciting role at a B2B SaaS company when —
Uncle Steve: “Oh yeah, that Elon Musk, he’s something else with that Facebook name change!”
You correct him, explaining that Mark Zuckerberg is the CEO of Meta. You mention Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter and its rebranding to X, filling the room with a flurry of relevant tech chatter. You recall how your college roommate, Pablo, faced layoffs last year and how you even thought about helping him land a job at your startup, which is focused on an innovative —
Uncle Steve: “Right! That’s the Tesla guy! What’s the deal with the AI stuff?”
Here it comes. The OpenAI discussion you're dreading. Thankfully, your aunt saves you.
Aunt Carol: “Oh, Steve, let’s not talk shop! How’s life? Any special someone?”
Somehow, Aunt Carol manages to bring up the only topic you want to avoid more than OpenAI: your dating life.
“Yeah, the OpenAI situation has been wild. They fired Sam Altman out of nowhere, and no one knew why. Investors were outraged over the chaos, especially since Microsoft has a significant investment in OpenAI. When a wave of potential layoffs loomed, staff threatened to quit if Sam wasn’t reinstated. Talk about a whirlwind! Oh, hey, isn’t the game on?”
You guide your aunt and uncle to the living room and turn on the TV. While you're not a football fanatic, you remember a few strategies from your consulting days — studying scores to engage with others at networking events. It’s these same social skills that helped you land your fascinating job at a groundbreaking B2B SaaS startup, which involves —
Uncle Steve: “Go Buckeyes!”
Your focus shifts back to the game. Armed with insights from your summer session at Wharton, you engage by asking about things people enjoy.
“I caught wind of a buyout at Texas A&M, what’s the scoop?”
Uncle Steve: “During halftime, Texas A&M received a massive $165 million check from a donor. The next day, they fired coach Jimbo Fisher and paid him $76 million to buy out his contract! Sounds like business in your world, right? By the way, wasn’t OpenAI that place that made Chat GTX?”
Oh no.
Your cousin Jennifer finally looks up from her phone.
Cousin Jennifer: “Dad, it’s ChatGPT, and Kayla even used it for her college essays and got in!”
You slip away to help your parents with Thanksgiving dinner. While peeling potatoes carefully, the doorbell rings again. It's Aunt Pat, who works in medical billing in Cleveland.
As you greet her and guide her to the family room, she makes small talk.
Aunt Pat: “Everyone at work can't stop chatting about AI! We use Salesforce Einstein all the time. So, did OpenAI get a new CEO?”
“Oh, Sam Altman is back now, but they briefly appointed Emmett Shear from Twitch. That's a platform owned by Amazon where gamers stream their gameplay!”
Cousin Jennifer chimes in again, “Yeah, my girlfriend is a VTuber.”
You desperately hope your aunts and uncles will ask Jennifer about VTubers, giving you a much-needed reprieve. Instead, the focus circles back to you.
Uncle Steve: “Wait, so does anyone really know what Sam did wrong?”
“We still don’t know, but COO Brad Lightcap mentioned that the management was blindsided. It didn’t seem to involve security or financial violations. There’s speculation that it reflects differing ideologies on AI development speed — some argue for more caution while others push for quick advancements. While the board cited a lack of transparency, that could mean anything! Personally, I’m just glad it got sorted out before Thanksgiving, so I can relax. I should check on Mom and the casserole.”
But they don't take the hint.
Aunt Pat: “Oh, don’t worry, I saw the casserole was out of the oven. So, what’s your take on AI? It makes my job easier, but I worry about job security!”
“It’s tough to predict. Right now, while generative AI struggles to replicate human creativity, it’s effective in automating tasks, which is likely why it benefits you at work. Speaking of, how's your job?”
Aunt Pat: “Oh, it’s the holidays! I’d rather not talk shop. So, I hear there have been plenty of layoffs in the Bay Area. Do you think your job is safe?”
“Yes, I believe my company is engaged in groundbreaking work, and innovation tends to offer the most job security. We’re a B2B SaaS startup that focuses on —”
Aunt Pat: “Wait, wasn’t there something confusing about the OpenAI board structure? What’s the latest with them?”
The mouthwatering aroma of turkey fills the air as you gather your thoughts, knowing the barrage of questions will soon end.
“Uh, OpenAI has a somewhat unusual setup — it’s part charity, part for-profit company. It can get confusing, but essentially the nonprofit can fire the CEO since it has control over the for-profit. This contrasts sharply with companies like Meta, where Mark Zuckerberg holds substantial ownership.”
Dad: “Dinner’s almost ready! Time to head to the table!”
Ah, dinner time! You relish every moment it takes to carry out each dish, savoring the delay of more intense questions about OpenAI. As everyone digs into their meal, chatter dies down, granting you a moment of peace at home.
Uncle Steve’s “aaah” sounds every time he sips his wine quickly become tiresome, but that’s family for you, right? Suddenly, with an inquisitive expression, he brings up an unexpected topic.
“So,” Uncle Steve asks, “what’s the latest on that CZ guy?”
Ranking
