{"id":7993137,"date":"2026-04-06T06:16:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T13:16:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/?p=7993137"},"modified":"2026-04-06T06:16:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T13:16:36","slug":"why-openai-bought-tbpn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/media-platforms\/journalism\/why-openai-bought-tbpn\/","title":{"rendered":"The Media Front: Why OpenAI Bought Tech Talk Show TBPN"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

Jordi Hays and John Coogan began streaming last year for more than three hours daily, offering boosterish takes on business and tech and building a small but influential audience among Silicon Valley titans and New York media players. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Thursday, OpenAI acquired TBPN<\/a> \u2014 the \u201cTechnology Business Programming Network\u201d\u2014\u00a0in a deal the Financial Times pegged in the \u201clow hundreds of millions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a dizzying move that initially felt like a delayed April Fool\u2019s joke. Why would the AI juggernaut behind ChatGPT get into the media business by buying a podcast? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

OpenAI\u2019s motivation isn\u2019t primarily journalistic: Hays and Coogan riff on the news, but would be the first to admit they\u2019re not reporters. It\u2019s not to gain political clout; the hosts actively avoid politics, unlike some founders who\u2019ve entered the media space. And it isn\u2019t to capitalize on TBPN\u2019s growing $30 million advertising business, since that\u2019s being shut down as part of the deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the young hosts bring is palpable enthusiasm for the tech world, and a strong connection with viewers \u2014 qualities that can serve OpenAI given gloomy public perceptions of AI. \u201cThey\u2019re fun, they\u2019re not sensationalist,\u201d OpenAI chief Sam Altman told<\/a> Axios. \u201cThey go into real levels of technical depth, and it resonates with people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Sam\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tRead Next<\/strong>
\n\t\t\tSam Altman Calls TBPN Hosts \u2018Genius Marketers,\u2019 Vows Editorial Independence for Tech Talk Show | Video<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

OpenAI is essentially buying TBPN for the vibes. By bringing the show under its communications and marketing arm, rather than folding it into a more traditional media division, OpenAI is signaling that product is only part of the equation \u2013 success in AI also depends on perception. The timing is striking ahead of OpenAI\u2019s planned IPO in late 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe standard communications playbook just doesn’t apply to us,\u201d Fidji Simo, OpenAI\u2019s CEO of applications, wrote in a memo, noting TBPN\u2019s \u201camazing comms and marketing instincts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, entrepreneurs and venture-capital firms have built their own media ecosystem, in part out of frustration with media coverage of Silicon Valley and as a way to boost their own narrative. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coogan and Hayes, who both hail from the tech world, are part of this trend: the former co-founded Soylent with investment from Altman, the latter co-founded start-up fundraiser Party Round. Not surprisingly, TBPN has provided a welcoming platform for industry heavyweights like Mark Zuckerberg, Satya Nadella, Alex Karp,  Marc Andreessen and Altman. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

OpenAI has promised editorial independence to TBPN, and will not interfere with topics and guests. There\u2019s little risk that TBPN \u2014 which boisterously covered the AI talent arms race last year the way ESPN covers a draft \u2014 is going to unearth unflattering information about OpenAI or its competitors. Reporting isn\u2019t part of the show\u2019s DNA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were never in the scoop industry,\u201d Coogan said on Thursday\u2019s show. \u201cPeople were kind of asking, is this journalism? Is this commentary? We\u2019ve always been like, hey, we like to talk to a lot of people, have a conversation, bring in people.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even when companies offer exclusives, Hays said they\u2019d suggest taking such scoops to the Wall Street Journal, New York Times or Bloomberg. \u201cThen come contextualize it with us,\u201d Coogan added. \u201cLet us dig in and understand more about the strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Promise\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tRead Next<\/strong>
\n\t\t\tPeter Chernin\u2019s The North Road Company, Andreesen Horowitz Invest in Generative AI Content Studio<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The TBPN hosts has some gripes with journalists \u2014 \u201cSometimes they\u2019ll have good intentions but they\u2019ll miss the true story,\u201d Hayes told<\/a> Vanity Fair \u2014 but they aren\u2019t harsh critics of the mainstream media like Andreessen, or, say, Elon Musk. They\u2019ve sat for profiles this past year in VF, the New Yorker and the Times<\/a>, telling a reporter from the latter: \u201cWe can\u2019t do what we do without you guys.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the New Yorker piece<\/a>, Hays pointed to AI companies failing to better to tell their story. \u201cWe get that a lot of people hate AI. If I\u2019m the average person in America, and I see a really terrible video generated by AI, and I hear that these companies are trying to take my job\u2026\u201d he said, trailing off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had people on the show, and we think it\u2019s honestly hilarious that they\u2019re just saying this out loud,\u201d Hays added. \u201cThey\u2019ll say, \u2018This is a big opportunity because we\u2019re displacing labor.\u2019 I\u2019m, like, how can you say that? Say it better. Paint me a better vision for this technology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By acquiring TBPN, OpenAI is banking on the \u201cTechnology Brothers\u201d to help the public better understand \u2014 and ideally embrace \u2014 the transformative products its building. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/a>
Competitors are scooping up talent and scaling ambitions following The Washington Post\u2019s cutbacks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

DC media shake-up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, has \u201ca lot of affection\u201d for the Washington Post, where he started his career, and believes \u201cit\u2019s important to have strong national newspapers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then he added: \u201cIf the Washington Post\u2019s ownership and management is going to drive away its best journalists, I\u2019m more than happy to give them a home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goldberg spoke to TheWrap as the Atlantic poached four reporters from the Washington Post, including Matt Viser, the paper\u2019s White House bureau chief, and as NOTUS \u2014 a site launched by Politico co-founder and former owner Robert Allbritton \u2014 added at least a half-dozen Post alums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I took a deep look at the talent scramble in the capital. Check it out here: Washington Post Upheaval Redraws the DC Media Map | Analysis<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/a>
Sen. Lindsey Graham at Walt Disney World. (Credit: TMZ)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

TMZ ambushes Congress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While Washington media companies duke it out over talent, an unlikely outlet is making waves on the Hill: TMZ<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disgusted with members of Congress taking a spring break before hammering out a deal to end the partial government shutdown, executive producer Harvey Levin put out a call for viewers to help reveal what lawmakers are up to \u2014 and did they ever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

TMZ obtained shots of Sen. Lindsey Graham<\/a> roaming through Disney World, holding a bubble wand, images that quickly went viral. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But TMZ posted pictures of numerous lawmakers, including Rep. Seth Magaziner partying with some \u201cReal Housewives,\u201d Rep. Robert Garcia at a Las Vegas casino, a congressional delegation touring Edinburgh Castle and Rep. Jared Moskowitz keeping time at his son\u2019s basketball game \u2014 more heartwarming image than tabloid gotcha.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t mind what TMZ is doing here,\u201d wrote Garcia, who said he was visiting his father. \u201cLike I said a few days ago, Speaker Mike Johnson should have never sent us all home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Megyn\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tRead Next<\/strong>
\n\t\t\tMegyn Kelly Eviscerates Lindsey Graham's 'Tone Deaf' Disney World Visit Amid Iran War Troop Deployment | Video<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

TMZ has tried to make inroads<\/a> in Washington before, but Levin\u2019s latest effort, tapping into populist, anti-establishment disgust with government, has truly resonated. \u201cPeople are really, really outraged,\u201d Levin said on Thursday on X, adding: \u201cMaybe they\u2019re hearing your anger. Maybe not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shaming lawmakers has also given way to booking them, with Rep. Jim McGovern appearing that day on \u201cTMZ Live\u201d to talk about his efforts to make a deal \u2014 and to jab at Graham\u2019s Disney vacation. It\u2019s also led to access, as Levin said TMZ is hearing from congressional offices saying they\u2019d like to work with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to have a full-time presence in Washington D.C.,\u201d said Levin, because \u201cit feels like the time is right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/a>
The New York Times (Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

NYT AI controversy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How newsrooms incorporate AI is one of the most hotly debated topics in media circles, and journalists are grappling with how to best use the technology \u2014 with examples of misuse serving as cautionary tales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ars Technica fired<\/a> a senior reporter last month after retracting a story that included AI-generated quotes, and now the New York Times has cut ties with a freelance writer, Alex Preston, after he inadvertently incorporated elements of a Guardian review while using AI to assist with his work, as Corbin Bolies reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor staff journalists and freelance writers alike, reliance on A.I. and inclusion of unattributed work by another writer is a serious violation of The Times\u2019s integrity and fundamental journalistic standards,\u201d the paper said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out Bolies\u2019 piece here: New York Times Cuts Ties With Book Review Writer Over AI Use | Exclusive<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/a>
California Attorney General Rob Bonta (Getty Images\/Chris Smith for TheWrap)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

AGs hold the line<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lucas Manfredi reports how state attorneys general \u201cmay represent the last line of defense\u201d in this moment of accelerating consolidation in local television and Hollywood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cThe federal government is retreating from its traditional role, abdicating its responsibility to enforce antitrust law and seemingly picking winners and losers,\u201d California Attorney General Rob Bonta told TheWrap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out Manfredi\u2019s full piece: State AGs Are Pushing Back Against Media Consolidation. Is It Too Late?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/a>
“60 Minutes” (Credit: CBS)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Also on TheWrap<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bari Weiss Expected to Shake Up \u201860 Minutes\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MS NOW Posts Double-Digit Growth as Rebecca Kutler Hits One-Year Mark | Exclusive<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CBS News 24\/7 Union Reaches Contract Deal With Network<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fox News Hits 1.5 Billion YouTube Views in 2026\u2019s First Quarter | Exclusive<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

WSJ Digital Subscriptions Grow 30% in 3 Years Under Editor-in-Chief Emma Tucker<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Versant Interested in Vox Media\u2019s Podcast Business<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On my radar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan a Journalist Be a Celebrity Anymore?\u201d (Jonah Bromwich, The New York Times<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNew Media Energy\u201d (People vs Algorithms<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInside the Meltdown of a Right-Wing Publisher\u201d (Will Sommer, The Bulwark<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJoanna Stern on quitting the Wall Street Journal and building a media business with AI\u201d (Mixed Signals, Semafor<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Most Powerful People in the World Are Obsessed With Media Again (Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After newsroom cuts, The Washington Post turns to creator-led video deals (Sara Guaglione, Digiday<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Profession That Does Not Exist (A Baffler<\/a> symposium)<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Chuck\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tRead Next<\/strong>
\n\t\t\tThe Media Front: Access, Authenticity and the Hybrid Journalist Era<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Plus: TMZ ambushes Congress, NYT cuts ties with writer, DC media scramble and a \u201860 Minutes\u2019 shake-up?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10249,"featured_media":7993138,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-full-width-with-ads","format":"standard","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":513605,"post_id":7865033}}]},"_links_to":"","_links_to_type":0,"nb_breaking_email_type":"","nb_breaking_template":"","nb_breaking_from_name":"","nb_breaking_subject":"","nb_breaking_preview":"","nb_breaking_list":[],"nb_breaking_header_img":0,"nb_breaking_should_send":false,"nb_breaking_content":"","nb_newsletter_sent_breaking_post_id":[],"apple_news_api_created_at":"2026-04-06T13:16:34Z","apple_news_api_id":"26cfe68a-e483-4ac3-9b3a-12498a6f60a3","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2026-04-06T13:16:43Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AJs_miuSDSsObOhJJim9gow","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"hide_featured_image":false,"the_wrap_post_enable_full_width_featured_image":false,"the_wrap_post_enable_featured_video":false,"the_wrap_post_featured_video":"","the_wrap_post_disable_read_more":false,"wp_curate_deduplication":false,"wp_curate_unique_pinned_posts":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[279383,514392,514391],"tags":[314,515607,511625,3996,433226],"tw_data_partners":[],"columns":[514387],"byline":[513605],"class_list":["post-7993137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-columns","category-journalism","tag-new_york_times","tag-tbpn","tag-the-media-front","tag-tmz","tag-wrappro","tw_column-the-media-front"],"newsletter_builder_byline":"Michael Calderone","is_pro_article":true,"apple_news_notices":[],"eyebrow":{"link":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/media-platforms\/journalism\/","text":"Journalism"},"tw_schema_org_review":{"name":"","type":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7993137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10249"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7993137"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7993137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7993954,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7993137\/revisions\/7993954"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7993138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7993137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7993137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7993137"},{"taxonomy":"tw_data_partners","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tw_data_partners?post=7993137"},{"taxonomy":"tw_column","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/columns?post=7993137"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=7993137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}