Sam Altman Says Remote Work 'Experiment' Was a Mistake
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI and co-founder of the A.I chatbot ChatGPT, recently spoke out against the idea of fully remote work becoming the norm. During a fireside chat in San Francisco, Altman shared his thoughts on remote work, stating that the tech industry made a big mistake by assuming that everyone could go full remote forever. Altman believes that startups are most effective when employees work together in an office, as remote work has limitations that hinder creativity and collaboration.
Altman isn’t alone in his assessment. Many CEOs have also been demanding that remote employees spend more time in the office, including Disney's Bob Iger, Starbucks' Howard Schultz, and News Corp's Robert Thomson. While remote work or a hybrid work schedule was the only option for many office workers during the pandemic, Altman and other CEOs believe that startups need a lot of in-person time for the best outcomes.
Keith Rabois, a general partner at venture capital firm Founders Fund, agrees with Altman, stating that he does not believe in remote work for startups. He believes that younger workers learn by osmosis in a way that requires in-person interaction, and supervisors discover hidden talent by watching them. Rabois also noted that he nor his firm would invest in a venture-based on remote work.
While many remote workers contend that working from home is just fine, and they are not eager to return to pre-pandemic office and commuting routines, James Clarke of digital marketing firm Clearlink has expressed worries. Clarke believes that employees might be secretly working multiple jobs while working remotely or using A.I. tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and GPT-4, which could be taking away time that his company isn't utilizing.
Altman believes that startups need a lot of in-person time, especially when ideas are fragile, nuanced, and uncertain. His experience co-founding OpenAI with Greg Brockman has taught him the importance of in-person collaboration. Despite being founded just seven years ago, OpenAI is now valued at nearly $30 billion, thanks in part to their broad audience strategy.
Overall, Altman and other CEOs believe that remote work may have limitations and that in-person interaction is still necessary for startups to thrive.
