OpenAI’s out-of-the-blue acquisition of TBPN, the buzzy online talk show, stunned the worlds of media and technology. But it’s a continuation of a pattern that dates back a hundred years, to 1926, when RCA created NBC in part to sell radios.
Time and time again, pioneers of new platforms have also bought up content and influenced conversations about those platforms.
In this case, a live-streaming show with a small but loyal and influential audience — known as a chummy platform for tech entrepreneurs to chat, where executive moves are treated like sports trades, where AI is a constant topic of conversation — will be bankrolled by one of the leading AI companies.
In an interview with CNN, OpenAI chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane cited that long history of “companies and entities owning and acquiring media properties,” harkening to the days of Westinghouse Electric owning CBS and Microsoft partnering with NBC to launch MSNBC.
Lehane compared the TBPN deal to news outlets hosting sponsored content and sports teams having dedicated channels.
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