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Sam Altman Is Going to Win
Four facets for four foes
I. Humor
I find it oddly satisfying that Elon Musk lives in perpetual pursuit of his comic side — the one thing he can’t afford — while Sam Altman, his nemesis since that falling out that drove the former into a deep hatred of OpenAI and turned the latter into the most wanted name among Silicon Valley VCs, is effortlessly witty. I have to admit that, though I have little in common with either of them and more than enough reason to be wary of both, I think Musk is closer to being a positive force in the world. I don’t trust Altman — call it a hunch — and still, I find him way more likable. The part of me that values humor above goodwill (and seemingly rules over my primal and tribal instincts) will invariably prefer a nonchalant “one man’s slop is another man’s treasure” to a validation-seeking “Even my hat has a hat.” And so I think, if my intuition is right, and unlike Altman, Musk errs more out of bad PR and an embarrassing lack of comedic timing than out of malice, then we’re screwed. Because if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that the funny man wins over the crowd.
II. Nerve
Altman wants to be a leader more than he wants to do the right thing. He wants things done his way or not at all. He would never let some blogger with a taste for fan fiction…
