Altman admits he was wrong on AI disruption speed: 'the economy has so much inertia'
zephyr_z9 · x · 2026-08-23
Sam Altman admitted in an interview that he misjudged the pace of AI adoption. He said that when GPT-4 launched in 2023, he expected much more disruption soon after — software businesses up for grabs right away — "than it turned out to be."
His main error was speed: "the economy just has so much inertia. People keep doing the same things, buying from the same company, wanting to use their tools the same way." He framed this as a positive that will make the transition smoother and slower. The quote circulated widely with mocking commentary from AI skeptics.
Related event: Sam Altman Admits Misjudging AI Disruption Pace, Citing Economic Inertia(16 posts)→
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