OpenAI acquires technology talk show TBPN in surprise move

April 2 (Reuters) - OpenAI, jostling ‌with Anthropic ​for ​enterprise customers, has bought TBPN, an online tech talk show that has built a loyal Silicon Valley following ‌through interviews with industry CEOs.

Entrepreneurs John Coogan and Jordi ⁠Hays, who started TBPN in late 2024 with the aim of competing ‌with industry heavyweights including CNBC, ‌will join OpenAI as part of Thursday's move.

The deal is surprising given that OpenAI had not previously indicated any plans ​to enter the news business and had recently shelved its Sora video-generation tool as part of its efforts to focus ⁠on the lucrative market for AI coding tools.

OpenAI, which did not disclose the financial ​details of the deal, said the move would help communicate its plans better and guide the conversation ​about the changes AI creates.

The money-losing ‌startup said it would maintain TBPN's editorial independence and drew parallels to other such efforts by large ⁠tech companies over the years in its newsletter, the Prompt.

"This isn't new in form. Media has long sat within larger enterprises, whether that ⁠was ABC/CBS/NBC sitting within large conglomerates, or Microsoft co-creating MSNBC, or Bloomberg ​News belonging to Bloomberg LP," it said in the newsletter.

OpenAI has recently faced backlash over its move to strike a deal with the U.S. government ‌to let it use its technology in classified military operations, after rival Anthropic and Washington got ‌into a dispute.

The talk show has hosted high-profile guests, including Meta ⁠CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft ‌CEO Satya Nadella, filmmaker ​James Cameron and OpenAI chief Sam Altman.

(Reporting by Aditya Soni and Kritika Lamba in Bengaluru; Editing by ‌Anil D'Silva)

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