Sam Altman's Manifest Destiny (2016)

Sam Altman's Manifest Destiny (2016)
newyorker.com

I don't necessarily think that was absolutely without merit: one tires of CEOs and SV types who think too much of themselves and don't attribute enough of their success to simply being in the right place at the right time and knowing the right people (not to entirely discount their undeniable talents and abilities, of course).

I wouldn't necessarily say the past few days have radically altered my view but I do find it striking that so many OpenAI employees broke cover to come out in support of him. It's certainly given me pause for further reflection and underscored that you just don't really know someone from simply reading about them, or reading interviews with them. So much of our understanding of individuals comes from spending time with them and from non-verbal cues.

Still, I've known others who have done things similar to the Bronze Age sword thing and, overall, I don't recommend these stunts: you inevitably come off as out of touch and a bit of a tool.

IMO Sam is one of those CEOs. He’s knows the semantic games, but his list of novel accomplishments is as long as my dogs, who also just follows along with elders demands. Really not all that impressed.

OpenAI employees look even worse now, concerned with network access via one of the billionaires classes Special Boys.

Sam once Tweeted we’re all stochastic parrots, incapable of knowing where we’re going or whether it’s worthwhile to go there. Admission enough to me he sees things as pointless pageantry to exploit.

That wouldn’t mean I like him or support him, just that I’d be voting in my own best interest.