SAN FRANCISCO — OpenAI acquired TBPN, a tech talk show, the company announced on April 2, 2026. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

TBPN, hosted by Jordi Hays and John Coogan, streams for three hours every weekday. The show has featured interviews with tech leaders such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Palantir CEO Alex Karp, and has presented AI talent wars in the style of pro sports drafts.

"This is not an April Fool's joke; that was yesterday," Coogan said of the announcement. Coogan also addressed concerns about editorial independence. "We were never in the scoop industry," he said.

Fidji Simo, CEO of AGI Deployment at OpenAI, framed the acquisition as a way to expand the company's reach. "The TBPN team has built something special," Simo said. "It's a real-time window into what's happening in AI. It brings together the people building the technology with leaders across every industry, figuring out how to use it for work and everyday life."

"We're excited to bring TBPN to OpenAI and keep growing it as an independent place for companies to share ideas, launch new things, and have honest conversations about where this is all going," Simo added.

Under the deal, TBPN will become part of OpenAI's Strategy organization, reporting to chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane. The show will continue to make its own programming, guest and editorial decisions. The TBPN organization will also assist OpenAI with communications and marketing outside the show. The acquisition is part of a new OpenAI communications strategy.

John McCarus, a recruiter focused on the creator economy, said the deal could limit TBPN's guest roster. "One risk to TBPN is that its association with OpenAI could hamper the show's ability to get guests from OpenAI competitors," McCarus said. "It's probably going to limit them to some degree."

"They must have decided what OpenAI was bringing them was big enough to not have access to what OpenAI might compete with," McCarus added.

TBPN faces competition in the livestreaming space from other tech industry shows, including ETN and TITV. The show has also inspired streaming programs in other industries, such as "Breaking and Entering" for advertising professionals and "Nobody Knows Anything" for political audiences.