“Sam Altman has it. You could parachute him into an island full of cannibals and come back in 5 years and he’d be the king.” — @paulg

Anytime anyone underestimates or tries to do an end run around @sama, I remind myself of this golden nugget from PG, the man who knew him best before he became Sam the man. Just a reminder for present and future @OpenAI employees and investors. (My Tweet)

Over the past week or so I noticed that CFO Sarah Friar and AGI chief Fidji Simo were doing the press. Why them and not Sam? We know Sam loves being in the spotlight. Was there some kind of palace coup in the works?

Well, there might have been something to my late night ruminations. The Information reports that Altman has excluded Friar from key financial meetings. She has been reporting to Simo, not him, since August 2025. Ironic, considering OpenAI plans to go public soon and the CFO is a key player. Simo is now taking medical leave to treat an ongoing neuroimmune condition.

PG quote looms large!

April 5, 2026. San Francisco