Sam Altman hits back at critics: OpenAI’s finances are just fine

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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sounds tired of the haters. 

On a recent episode of the Bg2 podcast, Altman joined Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to talk about their AI partnership.

Things got spicy when host Brad Gerstner asked how OpenAI plans to fund its jaw-dropping $1 trillion in infrastructure spending over the next decade.

“First of all, we’re doing well more than $13 billion in revenue,” Altman snapped, referencing recent reports about the company’s finances. 

“Second of all, Brad, if you want to sell your shares, I’ll find you a buyer.” Nadella laughed. The crowd laughed. And for a second, it felt less like a podcast and more like a billionaire roast.

Altman’s point? OpenAI isn’t exactly strapped for cash. He added that plenty of people who criticize the company’s “compute stuff” (industry code for massive GPU bills) would happily invest if given the chance. 

“One of the few times I wish we were public,” Altman joked, “is when people write these ‘OpenAI is about to go out of business’ posts. I’d love for them to short the stock, and then watch them get burned.”

Still, he did admit the company could “screw it up,” mainly if it runs short on computing power. 

But overall, Altman insisted things are booming: revenue’s climbing fast, ChatGPT use is still surging, and OpenAI’s long-term bet is that it can evolve into a full-blown AI cloud giant, with a dash of consumer hardware and some science-automating robots thrown in for good measure.

Nadella backed him up, saying OpenAI has “beaten every business plan” it’s ever handed Microsoft.

And when Gerstner asked whether OpenAI might hit $100 billion in revenue by 2028 or 2029, Altman smirked: “How about ‘27?”

As for those IPO rumors floating around? Don’t hold your breath. Altman shut that down, saying there’s “no date, no board decision, nothing specific.”  

OpenAI’s not going public yet, but if it did, Altman seems ready to bet against the doubters.