OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently shared his opinion on remote work at a fireside chat held by fintech company Stripe in San Francisco. He believes that it was a mistake for the tech industry to assume that everyone could work remotely full time, since it would prevent creativity and productivity from occurring. Other industry leaders such as Bob Iger of Disney and Howard Schultz of Starbucks agree with Altman’s view.
David Risher, the CEO of Uber’s rival Lyft, made the decision to require their employees to come into the office for three days a week. Many remote workers have grown to prefer this lifestyle to the pre-pandemic office environment. A Pew Research survey recently found that almost 60 percent of workers believe that remote work allows them to get their work done quickly and meet deadlines effectively.
In response to this thought, Keith Rabois, a general partner of Founders Fund, is adamant that startups should not work remotely. According to Rabois, employees learn best when they are in person with others and it is easier for supervisors to find hidden talent when they interact in person.
James Clarke, the CEO of Clearlink, is concerned that remote workers are utilizing AI tools that his company is not involved with, thus creating competition for his company. Altman also cautions startups against fully embracing remote work since it can cause confusion among the team about the product.
OpenAI itself is a prime example of the success of in-person work. Founded seven years ago, the AI chatbot company is now valued at nearly $30 billion. Furthermore, many companies such as IBM are utilizing AI tools to further streamline their products.
The original person mentioned in this article is OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. He has been at the forefront of a discussion about remote working in the tech industry — and he believes it has been “one of the tech industry’s worst mistakes in a long time”. Altman’s advice to startups is to not pursue remote work, as it would cause confusion on the product.
The original company mentioned in the article is OpenAI. This is an artificial intelligence chatbot company that was founded just seven years ago. OpenAI has quickly become a success, and their current value is at nearly $30 billion. This success has prompted other industry leaders to consider utilizing AI tools to simplify their products.
