The John Batchelor Show

Stanford, Loopt, and Y Combinator. Guest Author: Keach Hagey. Altman's career accelerated at Stanford, where he dropped out to co-found Loopt, a pioneering location-tracking startup. Although Loopt achieved visibility—including a famous appearance at an Apple event alongside Steve Jobs—it was financially a disappointment, selling for parts after the 2008 crisis. Following a period of global "backpacking" and self-reflection, Altman discovered his "superpower" in investing, mentored by Peter Thiel. By 2014, he became the president of Y Combinator, overseeing massive successes like Airbnb and Stripe. Influenced by a visit to SpaceX, Altman adopted Elon Musk's "missionary" approach, viewing startups as world-changing missions rather than mere businesses. During this time, he also championed radical social concepts like Georgism and Universal Basic Income (UBI), writing extensively on how mass AI equity could eventually be shared to restructure society. 3
JANUARY 1941

Formative Years in St. Louis. Guest Author: Keach Hagey. This segment explores Sam Altman's childhood in St. Louis during the 1980s and 90s. Hagey describes Altman's parents: Jerry, an idealistic real estate developer focused on affordable housing, and Connie, a highly ambitious dermatologist who set rigorous expectations for her four children. As the eldest, Sam was identified early as being intellectually "on another plane." At sixteen, he candidly came out to his mother, who eventually moved past her initial health-related fears to maintain their strong bond. A defining influence was the John Burroughs School, a progressive private institution that instilled a moral responsibility to use one's talents to improve the world. Despite his technological interests in programming and ham radio, Altman was noted for his precocious charisma and ability to engage adults on topics ranging from computer science to human rights. The segment concludes with his decision to attend Stanford University. 2

The Founding of OpenAI. Guest Author: Keach Hagey. In this opening segment, Keach Hagey discusses the January 2016 founding of OpenAI as a nonprofit research lab. Key figures included co-founder Greg Brockman and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, a renowned researcher whose recruitment from Google signaled the lab's potential. Backed by a billion-dollar commitment from Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and Jessica Livingston, the project was designed as a safe, non-commercial counterweight to Google's DeepMind. Operating initially out of Brockman's apartment, the team aimed to achieve Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) for the benefit of humanity. The technical foundation relied heavily on GPUs—hardware originally designed for video games—which proved essential for training the deep learning neural networks necessary for their research. This era was characterized by an ambitious, "pirate" spirit funded through YC Research to explore radical ideas outside the profit motive. 1
JANUARY 1931

The Death of a Legend at Kealakekua Bay. Guest Author: Hampton Sides. Cook returned to Hawaii in 1779, arriving during the Makahiki festival. The Hawaiians perceived him as the god Lono, and Cook played along to restock his ships. Tensions rose after the festival ended and a broken mast forced a return to the bay. The theft of a boat led Cook to attempt to kidnap the Hawaiian King, resulting in a violent melee on the beach. Cook, who could not swim, was killed by warriors. Today, a monument stands at the site, though it remains a place of controversy for Native Hawaiians who view Cook as a symbol of colonialism. The voyage concluded as a foundational event of the Enlightenment and a tragic end for a complex explorer. 8
1860 COOK MONUMENT

The Perils of the Northwest Coast. Guest Author: Hampton Sides. Cook mapped the coastline from Oregon to Alaska, enduring foul weather and perpetual fog. While the Spanish sought to arrest him for encroaching on their territory, Benjamin Franklin ordered American captains to protect Cook's scientific mission. The expedition spent a month repairing ships at Nootka Sound, interacting peacefully with the Mowachaht people. Cook meticulously charted the Alaskan coast, even navigating by the sound of walruses in low visibility. However, upon reaching the Bering Sea, he encountered the "ice blink" and an impenetrable wall of ice, proving the "open sea" theory wrong. Threatened by the encroaching pack ice, Cook was forced to retreat, abandoning the search for the season. 7
1810 DEATH OF COOK

The Discovery of Hawaii. Guest Author: Hampton Sides. In late 1777, Cook accidentally discovered the Hawaiian Islands, starting with Kauai. The Hawaiians, who had never seen smoking or pockets, dubbed the sailors "volcano people." Cook realized these were Polynesians, leading him to marvel at the Polynesian diaspora and their incredible voyaging skills. Although he was in a hurry to reach Alaska, he went ashore unarmed to observe their sophisticated civilization, noting advanced aqueducts and agriculture. This find was historically significant, providing the first written description of Hawaiian culture, yet Cook refused to linger or explore the rest of the chain, driven by a frantic timeline to find the Northwest Passage. 6
1785 DEATH OF COOK

Rage on Moorea and Farewell to Mai. Guest Author: Hampton Sides. Tensions escalated on the island of Mooreaduring the "Goat Incident," where the theft of a pregnant nanny goat triggered a "scorched earth" campaign from Cook. He destroyed huts and canoes in a disproportionate rage that shocked his officers. Sides suggests this was a desperate attempt to protect Mai's future property by making an example of theft. After dropping Mai off at Huahine in a bittersweet farewell, the ships turned toward Alaska. Mai eventually died of disease a few years later, failing to reclaim his ancestral lands despite his English weapons. Cook, meanwhile, was increasingly seen by his men as a "darker" version of his former self as he pushed north. 5
1899 FIJI

Tahiti and the Challenges of Resettling Mai. Guest Author: Hampton Sides. The expedition arrived in Tahiti in August 1777, where the crew was eager for recreation. Cook's primary task was finding a home for Mai, who had returned from England with a hoard of treasures, including muskets and armor. Cook worried about Mai's status as a commoner and tried to arrange a marriage for him to protect his wealth, but Mai refused. Sides also highlights the importance of the "red feather" trade; Cook had discovered that these feathers were a royal currency in the islands, effectively allowing him to "change the economy" to secure supplies. Despite the idyllic setting, Cook's internal pressures and concerns for Mai's precarious future continued to mount. 4
1876 FIJI

Tahiti and the Challenges of Resettling Mai. Guest Author: Hampton Sides. The expedition arrived in Tahiti in August 1777, where the crew was eager for recreation. Cook's primary task was finding a home for Mai, who had returned from England with a hoard of treasures, including muskets and armor. Cook worried about Mai's status as a commoner and tried to arrange a marriage for him to protect his wealth, but Mai refused. Sides also highlights the importance of the "red feather" trade; Cook had discovered that these feathers were a royal currency in the islands, effectively allowing him to "change the economy" to secure supplies. Despite the idyllic setting, Cook's internal pressures and concerns for Mai's precarious future continued to mount. 4
1850

Crewing the Expedition and Erroneous Science. Guest Author: Hampton Sides. The mission involved two ships: the Resolution and the Discovery. Key officers included Charles Clerke, who commanded the Discovery while suffering from tuberculosis, and James King, a talented astronomer whom Cook mentored. Also on board were John Gore, an American-born veteran, and William Bligh, a brilliant but "insufferable" navigator who learned his craft directly from Cook. The voyage was partly motivated by the "open sea" theory of Daines Barrington, which falsely suggested that seawater could not freeze and that a path to the Northwest Passage would be ice-free if sailors stayed away from land. This wrongheaded science fueled the British Empire's obsession with finding a shorter route to Asia. 2
1784