# Altman describes the shock of an incident at home

Markdown copy of https://realalpha.app/s/altman-describes-the-shock-of-an-incident-at-home/ on Real Alpha, the best minutes from long interviews with the people building AI. Cite and link the page, not this copy.

- Speaker: [Sam Altman](https://realalpha.app/builders/sam-altman/) · Co-founder, OpenAI · Co-founded OpenAI and has led it since 2019, overseeing ChatGPT's launch; formerly president of Y Combinator.
- Host: [Ashlee Vance](https://realalpha.app/people/ashlee-vance/) · CEO, Core Memory · Wrote the best-selling biography Elon Musk; covered tech for Bloomberg Businessweek, The Economist and The New York Times.
- Host: Kylie Robison · Co-host, Core Memory
- Show: Core Memory
- Episode: [The OpenAI Founders On Their Plan To Battle Elon, Compute And Everything Else](https://realalpha.app/v/NCKQL0op30E/), Apr 22, 2026
- Moment: 1:11:27 to 1:15:03 of the episode (4 min), playing on https://realalpha.app/s/altman-describes-the-shock-of-an-incident-at-home/; the episode from there: https://realalpha.app/v/NCKQL0op30E/?t=4287

## Quote

> “the first day I was sort of in this like kind of **adrenaline shock** about it”
> — [Sam Altman](https://realalpha.app/builders/sam-altman/) at [1:12:32](https://realalpha.app/v/NCKQL0op30E/?t=4352) · Core Memory

## Takeaways

1. Altman describes an adrenaline shock and handling immediate logistics.
2. He says the incident led to a depressive cycle.
3. He contrasts physical danger with mean comments in the press.

## About this segment

Sam Altman recounts the shock and depression he felt after an incident at his house, then reflects on how it put hostile public comments in perspective. Brockman adds his view of Altman's resilience.

From “The OpenAI Founders On Their Plan To Battle Elon, Compute And Everything Else”, Apr 22, 2026. [Watch the full episode](https://realalpha.app/v/NCKQL0op30E/)

## Transcript

Transcribed by machine (Whisper) from the episode’s audio, so a word may be off here and there.

[1:11:33](https://realalpha.app/v/NCKQL0op30E/?t=4293) soul victory or something like that i mean we'd be remiss and i know it's super sensitive but go i mean you know if you look at what happened to you personally over the last week there's tons of science fiction books that have been written about what happens when um the factions that really don't want to see technological progress happen get um you know things get more extreme um i don't know like there's an argument to be And this switch is now flipping along those lines.

[1:12:04](https://realalpha.app/v/NCKQL0op30E/?t=4324) With people that want to like stop. Yeah, I mean, you know, I've read Richard Clark's book years ago where a Bill Joy-like figure decides AI can't happen and he's running around destroying data centers. You know, this stuff has been out there forever. It just feels like, God, I mean, I don't see how things could get like more heightened. And so it doesn't seem like it's getting better. I assume it will go up and down, but directionally more heightened.

[1:12:27](https://realalpha.app/v/NCKQL0op30E/?t=4347) This must be like you wrote about. I mean clearly this must be horrifying or yeah yeah I mean I don't think I have anything deep to say here uh that was a crazy way to wake up um that the first day I was sort of in this like kind of adrenaline shock about it and just trying to like figure out logistics and then the day after I was just like you know there's gonna be more stuff like this and it's incredibly disheartening and I went through a real depressive cycle about it um but it's very scary and I yeah i don't think i have anything super deep to say i think the doomerism talk hasn't helped uh i think the way certain other labs talk about us hasn't helped i actually don't want to make like a side say i think the way anthropic talks about open eye doesn't help um and you know i like i hope that cooler times will prevail

[1:13:26](https://realalpha.app/v/NCKQL0op30E/?t=4406) So one thing I do want to say just to, you know, the point of we can't control other people who can control ourselves. One thing I've been just really impressed by and astounded by with Sam is just how throughout this time, like that very day, he was there doing things that absolutely required him. Like he just like keeps pushing on the mission. And I think that is something that I don't take for granted at all.

[1:13:51](https://realalpha.app/v/NCKQL0op30E/?t=4431) Like, I just think that the degree of resilience that is represented by Sam is extreme and I think very underappreciated. I mean, I've seen the same thing. I don't know. Well, people will be like, oh, you're taking it easy or something like that. I don't know. It's hard to think of it like another individual over the last three years who's been through more dramatic business and personal. The narrative has been quite dramatic.

[1:14:16](https://realalpha.app/v/NCKQL0op30E/?t=4456) People won't be sympathetic because they're like, you're rich. People won't be sympathetic, then that's fine. i i i said this the night before that this thing happened at my house um i had some people over for dinner and we were talking like uh some work colleagues and we're talking about the next phase and they're like uh it's been like a you know brutal time for you in the press but i guess it's like good in some sense and i was like uh you know at least no one tried to kill me um you said that the night before uh and and it but it really did put into perspective the like you know people can say all the mean things they want and as long as they only say the mean things it's like it's really not that big of a deal you keep going you always told me your dream is to like