OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, has acquired a popular tech show TBPN, in a bid to set its camp in the news media industry, as the AI giant plans a narrative dominance in the artificial intelligence industry.
TBPN — Technology Business Programming Network- a popular live tech podcast hosted by John Coogan and Jordi Hays- was launched in 2024 and has quickly risen in popularity in the tech circles for its real-time commentary on business stories.
The acquisition was announced on April 2 by Fidji Simo, CEO, AGI deployment at OpenAI, to her team, where she claimed that the move was aimed at creating a “space” for a “real, constructive, conversation about the changes AI creates—with builders and people using the technology at the center.”
“We’re not a typical company. We’re driving a really big technological shift. And with our mission to ensure artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity comes a responsibility.” said Simo.
TBPN will report to Chris Lehane, VP Global Policy of OpenAI, who had joined the company in 2024 to swing the narrative around the AI giant. Lehane is the inventor of the phrase “vast right wing conspiracy” – a political memo prepared by him back in 1995 as a political opposition researcher, to deflect criticism of the then U.S. President Bill Clinton.
The surprise acquisition has flummoxed the industry even as experts say that this could be a larger PR move by OpenAI to sway public opinion. Recently, OpenAI had drawn criticism over its hurried deal with the Pentagon for use of AI in military ops, leading to its CEO Sam Altman admitting that the deal looked “sloppy.”
While OpenAI has not revealed the exact acquisition amount, TBPN co-host John Coogan, in a post on X that garnered 2.3 million views, described the acquisition as a ‘full circle moment,’ noting that Altman had funded his first company in 2013 and the two had crossed paths at multiple points over the past decade.
TBPN has been acquired by OpenAI!
The show is staying the same and we’ll continue to go live at 11am pacific every weekday.
This is a full circle moment for me as I’ve worked with @sama for well over a decade. He funded my first company in 2013. Then helped us fix a serious…
— John Coogan (@johncoogan) April 2, 2026
Both OpenAI and TBPN have maintained that the acquisition will not impact the editorial independence of the talk show.
“TBPN will continue to run their programming, choose their guests, and make their own editorial decisions,” read a statement from Simo.
However, the decision of TBPN reporting to Lehane has raised eyebrows, whether the so-called editorial independence would remain really independent or not under the supervision of a political consultant.
Also Read: OpenAI Taps Kiran Mani to Lead APAC Expansion Amid Growing Backlash
