Sam Altman's Focus: Don't Do the Work Yourself, Ensure It's Done Right!

In the development of OpenAI, Sam Altman's role is not that of a traditional CEO; he does not directly engage in technical research, product development, or even most specific decision-making. So, what exactly is he doing?

Altman's own answer is: "I built the company, and I spend most of my time thinking about research, calculations, and the products we are building." This may seem contradictory, but it actually reflects a core function of a modern CEO—it's not about doing the work personally, but ensuring that things are done correctly.

1️⃣ Altman's Core Function: Building and Leading the Company

Altman's core work is not research, products, or direct decision-making, but constructing and shaping the operational mechanisms of OpenAI. His work can be summarized in six areas:

1. Uniting the Team: Precise Operations, Rapid Expansion

As a pioneer in the AI field, OpenAI must maintain efficient organizational operations. Altman's responsibility is to build a highly collaborative, goal-aligned team, ensuring that communication and execution are efficient from researchers to product managers to policy teams. The management style emphasizes efficient expansion, avoiding bureaucratization while ensuring the team is in sync.

2. Turning Vision into Value: Exorcising the Devils in the Details

Many leaders in tech companies have vision, but few CEOs can truly ground that vision into real market competitiveness. Altman not only needs to think about the future direction of #AI technology but also ensure how to turn these cutting-edge technologies into viable products and business models:

• Ensure OpenAI's research direction aligns with the company's long-term strategic goals

• Address key challenges that may arise during commercialization

• Ensure investment and market strategies are in sync with technological development

3. Identifying Talent, Providing Tools, and Clearing Obstacles

One of Altman's core roles at #OpenAI is to find the smartest people in the world and enable them to fully utilize their talents:

• Attract top AI researchers, engineers, and entrepreneurs to join OpenAI

• Ensure the team has access to the most advanced computing resources (supercomputing clusters, GPU supply chains, etc.)

• Resolve internal obstacles and reduce bureaucratic processes that hinder innovation

This is similar to the leadership styles of Musk, Jobs, and others—the best CEOs do not do the work themselves but find people stronger than themselves and provide them with the best resources and platforms.

4. Observing Trends, Guiding Technology, Ensuring Effectiveness

Altman's advantage lies in his understanding of AI technology, combined with a comprehensive perspective on capital, market, product, and policy. He needs to predict key trends in #AI development and lay the groundwork in advance:

• Recognize the importance of multimodal AI (like GPT-4o) and drive its productization

• Engage in proactive planning regarding AI regulation and ethics, establishing communication mechanisms with governments and society

• Assess potential paths for AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) and formulate OpenAI's development strategy

5. Creating Engines for Future Growth

OpenAI is not a traditional research institution but a commercial company. Altman needs to ensure that OpenAI can sustain growth and possess long-term profitability. This includes:

• Promoting an API ecosystem that makes it easier for developers to use OpenAI's technology

• Establishing strategic partnerships with Microsoft and other tech giants to ensure OpenAI has stable computing resources and financial support

• Exploring new business models (such as AI agents, AI assistants, AI-enabled industrial transformation)

6. Turning Ideas into Competitive Advantages

In the AI field, technological breakthroughs are important, but more crucial is how to translate them into long-term competitive barriers. Altman's task is to ensure OpenAI:

• Continues to lead in technology (GPT-4.5, code generation, AI agents, etc.)

• Maintains a globally top-tier talent pool

• Has a more scalable commercialization path (API, enterprise services, B2B, consumer-level applications)

"I am the system behind the system," Altman's statement means that his work is not about direct execution but about building a system that allows OpenAI to operate efficiently and maintain its lead.

2️⃣ Why is Altman's Role So Important?

In a cutting-edge industry like AI, the traditional CEO function can no longer meet the needs of a company like OpenAI. Altman's value is reflected in:

1. Connecting Research and Commercialization

• AI researchers care about technological breakthroughs, while the market needs viable products. Altman is responsible for connecting the two, ensuring that research can translate into truly valuable products.

• For example, ChatGPT quickly evolved from an experimental project to a product used by hundreds of millions globally, thanks to Altman's push for a viable business model and product realization.

2. Shaping the Rules of the AI Era

• The development of AI is not just a technical issue; it also involves complex factors like ethics, policy, and regulation. Altman needs to engage in dialogue with governments and regulatory bodies worldwide to ensure that AI can develop rapidly without being stifled by unreasonable regulations.

• He has testified multiple times before the U.S. Congress to advocate for rational AI regulation.

3. Ensuring OpenAI's Long-Term Competitiveness

• The pace of AI development is extremely fast; if OpenAI cannot maintain its lead, it risks being surpassed by competitors (like Google, Anthropic). Altman needs to ensure that OpenAI has continuous computing resources, top talent, and the best commercialization paths.

3️⃣ The Ultimate Task of a CEO: Scaling Mental Advantages

"My strength is scaling mental advantages." This statement can be understood on two levels:

• Personal level: Altman needs to ensure that the organization of OpenAI maintains sufficient flexibility, innovation, and execution capability.

• Industry level: He not only needs to keep OpenAI ahead but also shape the game rules of the entire AI field, ensuring OpenAI is in a favorable position in future competitions.

How does he achieve this?

1. By creating an efficient organizational structure, allowing OpenAI's team to be faster and more agile than competitors.

2. Through strategic partnerships (like Microsoft's investment), ensuring OpenAI has sufficient computing resources.

3. By making proactive plans, ensuring OpenAI's technological roadmap is more robust than that of competitors.

Ultimately, Altman's goal is to make OpenAI the core platform of the AI era, not just a research institution or product company.

Conclusion: Altman is not an Executor, but a Rule Maker

Rather than saying Altman is a CEO, it is more accurate to call him the "System Architect of the AI Era." He does not personally conduct research, develop products, or make specific decisions, but his work is:

• Building the system of OpenAI to ensure it operates efficiently

• Ensuring OpenAI maintains its lead in the AI race

• Shaping the game rules of the AI era

At a critical moment in AI development, Altman's role resembles that of a "strategic brain," ensuring that OpenAI remains at the forefront of technology, business, and policy in the next decade. He does not handle specific tasks, but he determines the direction of the entire game. This is the focus of a top entrepreneur! By the way, Altman's recent Web3 project #WLD is collaborating with VISA to create a stablecoin private bank 🧐

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