OpenAI acquired TBPN for $100M+ but most people are drawing the wrong conclusions. OpenAI doesn’t care about TBPN as a business or a show. They immediately shut down all ads and they are going to leave full editorial independence to John and Jordi. That is a big win for TBPN and the team, but more importantly it is the signal for what OpenAI was actually after. They wanted to acquire @johncoogan, @jordihays, @DylanAbruscato and the team. These guys are some of the smartest, most experienced marketers on the internet right now. They understand how to win the vibe war, while making everyone love them. Luxury positioning with down-to-earth approachability. Those who have never built a media company won’t understand how difficult it is to pull this off. But John, Jordi, Dylan and others executed this strategy perfectly. And this is what OpenAI has to replicate. They need users to pay for the high compute costs, yet they need to make AI less scary and threatening. So OpenAI is not buying a show. They are not paying a multiple on revenue. And they definitely are not planning to use TBPN to run some psyop campaign. OpenAI just pulled off one of the best talent acquisitions in a long time. They figured out how to hire generational talent to beef up their marketing and comms efforts. The money was merely the price it would take for the team to give up their neutral position in the ecosystem and point their talent behind a single company. OpenAI wanted the people. TBPN was just the vessel to effectuate the transaction. And the money was the market clearing price to pull off a blockbuster trade for first round draft pick talent. Congratulations to each of them. They are true trailblazers who understand their market value and they exploited it to the tune of $100M+ Not bad for a few guys in a warehouse with a couple of cameras :)(Anthony Pompliano 🌪)