Sunday Shuffle v. 14

"If you have everything under control, you're not moving fast enough." -Mario Andretti

Happy Sunday, marketeers! With the return of F1 Racing to Las Vegas this weekend after a more than 40-year hiatus, I thought I’d focus on the subject of “speed” this week. Speed is very much glorified and rewarded in our society, not only in racing, but in technology and business as well.??The early days of SaaS brought about a faster and more agile approach to software development, which over time bled into other disciplines like marketing, where speed and experimentation became the new norms.? If you weren’t moving at the “speed of SaaS,” you could find yourself in a precarious career situation.

But is there a point when going too fast can be dangerous, destructive and deadly?? When does urgency cross the line into recklessness??

On Friday night, we learned that Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and the lead driver in this AI race was fired by his Board in a dramatic coup.? According to the Wall Street Journal, Sam was “ousted amid safety concerns tied to rapid expansion of commercial offerings.”? In other words, there had been concerns brewing among the company's leadership over the balance between speed and safety.

Finding the right balance between speed and safety is crucial for SaaS companies. While going fast is vital for growth and competitiveness, it needs to be managed carefully to ensure high-quality output, secure systems, long-term customer loyalty, a healthy workforce, and a strong company culture. Let's Shuffle forth and delve deeper into the good and bad side of speed.

Inside this week's Shuffle:

• Is Sam gone from OpenAI or not?
• Elon goes non-linear on advertisers
• Marketing fast takes
• The flip side of speed

Sam Altman is Out as CEO of OpenAI ... or is he?

What made the news of Sam's dismissal so shocking last Friday was that he had been on a tear. Since 2018, he's been at the helm of one of the most innovative companies in tech history, and arguably been the industry’s most visible, outspoken and charismatic voices.

He had just kicked off OpenAI's inaugural DevDay the week prior with an awe-inspiring keynote address that felt like a home run derby. He knocked ball after ball out of the park, announcing new innovations like GPT-4 Turbo, Assistants API, Custom GPTs, lower pricing and more. With all the news, it was becoming clearer how these pieces fit together to transform business computing and unlock a new era of growth. Many of you, like me, even started tinkering on our own personal chat assistants, which sprang up all over social media last week.

But ... at the very end of his keynote he said something that made a lot of heads tilt and sphincters tighten: ?

“What we launched today is going to look very quaint relative to what we’re busy creating for you now.” [45:15]

Then to top it off, last Thursday (the day before his ousting) Sam sat on an AI panel at the APEC Summit alongside product leads from Google and Meta. When asked, “what will be the most remarkable surprise that will happen in AI in 2024” [50:00], his reply was:

“The model capability will have taken such a leap forward that no one expected.”?- Sam Altman

Many suspect that Thursday’s shocking remark was the moment the Board decided to put up the red flag to stop the race.?According to their vague public announcement, they cited that [Sam] was not consistently candid with his communications with them … and they had lost confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.??But digging deeper, insiders believe it was more about the uncomfortable pace by which he wanted to commercialize generative AI and double down on its multi-billion-dollar partnership with Microsoft.

It's Important to Note: OpenAI started as a non-profit foundation with a singular mission “to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.”? It was created as a counterweight to Google, who in 2015 had 2/3 of all the AI researchers in the world and little concern for AI safety and responsibility at the time.

What's Next? There is still a lot more of this story to unfold in the coming weeks and there will no doubt be a flurry of rumor and speculation.? As of writing this today (11/19), rumors are circulating that Sam could be reinstated this week. With over $1.3B in revenue and an $80B valuation, investors were not pleased with the decision, and the company's Chief Strategy Officer told employees "that the company is 'optimistic' about Altman returning. Follow updates on the news here.

Microsoft, the company's largest investor, says it's still committed to the partnership. It's believed that they pulling a lot of the strings behind the scenes, and for good reason. This could also put some wind under the wings of other AI platform players like Google, Meta and Anthropic and help them catch up.

The irony is that for a Board that was concerned about Sam moving too fast and recklessly, their decision to oust him was probably more reckless by comparison.

Elon Threatens "Thermonuclear Lawsuit" Against Advertisers

While OpenAI was firing Sam on Friday, several big advertisers were pulling out of Twitter/X. Major brands like Apple, NBC, Disney, IBM, Paramount and others decided to halt spending amid concerns that their ads were running alongside pro-Nazi hate groups, which had been revealed in a report from industry watchdog, Media Matters. The report came on the heals of news that Musk had been promoting antisemitic tweets, which the White House condemned him for.

Why it Matters: Recently appointed CEO, Linda Yaccarino (who previously ran ad sales at NBC) is desperately trying to control her boss and calm advertisers while assuring everyone that the company doesn't condone any sort of discrimination and hate. Her boss seems more interested in suing the watchdog group first thing Monday morning rather than to staunch the bleeding at a time when the value of the company is half what it was a year ago.

Marketing Fast Takes

• BCG unpacks "How Companies Can Speed Up the Business of Business Building"
• Tech incubator, Y Combinator, puts LAUNCH NOW as top priority in their Pocket Guide of Essential Advice
• Marketers are using OpenAI to generate marketing strategies faster
• How an agile, iterative approach to marketing is at the centre of many leading growth marketing teams.
• OpenView published this awesome case study with Enzo Avigo, CEO of June, on how to move insanely fast

The Flip Side

• I feel the need – the need for speed! Unreasonable tasks, work pace, psychological detachment and emotional exhaustion.
• HBR unpacks "What's Fueling Burnout in Your Organization"

"Many people believe burnout is driven by excessive work demands. In fact, it’s driven by a specific type of demand–work that requires too much collaboration between individuals or teams of employees."

One Final Thought

As crazy and things seem, and as hard as it can be to keep up with the pace, I try to remember what F1 driver, Sebastian Vettel said before he retired last year:

“We have to remember these days. There is no guarantee they will last forever. Enjoy them as long as they last.” - Sebastian Vettel

To my fellow Americans, have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy the much-needed rest. For you and everyone that reads this newsletter, I want you to know how very thankful I am for your engagement. I would be grateful if you could share this with your network and community as well.

Enjoy the race, Shufflers.