OpenAI’s existential questions
Source: TechCrunch
OpenAI in the News
OpenAI has been all over the news recently—whether the story is about acquisitions, competition with Anthropic, or bigger debates about AI’s impact on society (TechCrunch article).
On the latest episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, Kirsten Korosec, Sean O’Kane, and I did our best to round up all the latest OpenAI news. While the company’s newest acquisitions look like classic acqui‑hires, Sean suggested they also address “two big existential problems that OpenAI is trying to solve right now.”
- Hiro – the personal‑finance startup behind a product that could give OpenAI “more hooks than just a chatbot, and maybe something worth paying more for.”
- TBPN – a new‑media startup that could help “better shape its image in the public eye, which lately has not been great.”
Below is a preview of our conversation, edited for length and clarity.
Transcript (edited)
Anthony:
We have two deals that are worth mentioning. One is that OpenAI acquired the personal‑finance startup Hiro. The other was announced while we were recording our last episode of Equity: OpenAI also acquired TBPN—a business‑talk‑show, essentially a new‑media company.
Both deals are small compared to OpenAI’s scale. They aren’t likely to change the company’s trajectory, but they suggest an attitude of “let’s try out different things.”
Especially the TBPN deal… at a time when OpenAI seems to be refocusing on making ChatGPT and its GPT models competitive in the enterprise space with programmers.
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Kirsten:
No, running a tech talk show should not be on the to‑do list. That’s it.
I do want to mention Hiro because Julie Bort, our venture editor, was the first to write about it. She dug in and it looks like an acqui‑hire; the company is folding and will cease access by a certain date.
Hiro launched only two years ago, so this is clearly about talent acquisition. I’m curious whether OpenAI will absorb the team or actually build a personal‑finance product. It’s not clear yet.
Sean:
Both acquisitions feel like acqui‑hires. TBPN allegedly will retain editorial independence, which is commendable.
However, placing the show’s creators under public‑policy, communications, or marketing teams raises questions about how much “editorial independence” really means.
The two deals highlight two major problems OpenAI faces:
- Product diversification – ChatGPT is successful, but it’s uncertain whether it will generate enough revenue to sustain the business without massive private funding. OpenAI also seems to be lagging on the enterprise side, where the real money is. Acquiring Hiro could be a shot at “what else can we do?”—perhaps a consumer app with more hooks than a chatbot.
- Public perception – TBPN could help shape OpenAI’s image, which has taken a hit after Ronan Farrow’s recent New Yorker report (link) that surfaced alongside other OpenAI announcements.
Those are the two existential problems OpenAI is trying to solve right now.
Kirsten:
What you didn’t mention is Anthropic looming in the background—not in the shadows, but taking up a lot of space. They’re having a lot of success on the enterprise side.
It feels like they’re competitors, yet very different companies in many ways. Anthony, do you see them as direct competition to OpenAI?
End of excerpt.
**Speaker:** I? Or are they just finding their stride in enterprise? In a way, these two companies are clearly going to coexist and they’re really not directly competing with each other — maybe on talent, but not necessarily as we initially thought.
**Anthony:** I think they’re directly competing with each other. There’s definitely a scenario where, if AI as an industry—and as a technology—is as successful as its proponents hope, both companies could be very successful, potentially the “one and two.” The success of one does not necessarily mean that the other will fade into obscurity.
Again, none of this is official, but there’s been a lot of reporting suggesting that OpenAI, more than anyone, is obsessed with and upset about Anthropic’s rise.
Our reporter Lucas Ropek did a great piece over the weekend about the HumanX conference:
[“At the HumanX conference, everyone was talking about Claude”](https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/12/at-the-humanx-conference-everyone-was-talking-about-claude/). He noted that while attendees said “ChatGPT is fine, too,” they were all about Claude Code. I think that is exactly what OpenAI is worried about.
In theory, there could be many other opportunities for generative AI, but it feels like the biggest growth area—the area with the most money and a clear path to a sustainable business—is in enterprise and coding tools.
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