Sam Altman on Killing Sora and Atlas: Great Ideas Are Extremely Fragile
david_perell · x · 2026-08-24
In an interview clip, Sam Altman argues that the best ideas are extremely fragile early on. Founders need a setup that avoids killing potentially great ideas too quickly, while staying focused enough to shut down good-but-distracting bets — as he did with Sora and Atlas to focus on Codex.
He stresses it comes down to who you surround yourself with, warning against a particular toxicity: people smart enough to explain why every great idea is bad.
Related event: Sam Altman Explains Why OpenAI Killed Sora and Atlas to Focus on AGI(5 posts)→
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