Sam Altman and the Quest to Become the Next Steve Jobs

Sam Altman is increasingly seen as positioning himself to inherit the mantle of Steve Jobs, a title many tech leaders have aspired to but none have fully claimed. Altman's recent philosophical missive on the "gentle singularity" and his partnership with Jobs' design muse Jony Ive (CNBC) underscore his ambitions.

What Made Steve Jobs Special?

Jobs was a unique blend of visionary, marketer, and product genius. He reinvented industries, had an eye for design, and knew how to hire talent like Tim Cook. Current tech leaders like Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey, and Mark Zuckerberg have some of these traits but fall short in others. Musk's breadth of activities dilutes his focus, Dorsey lacks a cohesive vision, and Zuckerberg's flip-flopping undermines his credibility.

The New Contenders

• Jensen Huang (Nvidia) combines product insight and operational excellence but is newer to the spotlight.
• Alexandr Wang (Scale AI), at 28, has built a billion-dollar company but lacks Jobs' founder mojo.
• Altman excels in vision and marketing, making OpenAI's ChatGPT a household name despite competition from Gemini and Claude.

Challenges Ahead

Altman must navigate OpenAI's non-profit conversion and copyright lawsuits while justifying a $300B valuation. Jobs' successor, Tim Cook, proved operations matter, but the next iconic leader will likely redefine the role.

Other Tech Highlights

• Elon Musk is betting on Austin robotaxis.
• Chime's IPO was a mixed bag for investors.
• Y Combinator's latest batch features AI agents and dev tools.