"Never a Better Time to Do a Startup"

Altman says AI tools have sharply reduced the time and resources needed to build software. He compares a three-month project from his first YC batch in 2005 with work a coding agent can now do in minutes, and says founders can use that capacity to pursue more ambitious ideas.

Altman recalls that early OpenAI faced widespread skepticism about whether AGI could be built. He advises founders to look for new possibilities others dismiss, gather evidence to strengthen their conviction, and find even a small group who share it. He also recommends building relationships by being helpful to many people over time.

Discussing a recent Hugging Face incident, Altman calls it a serious alignment and security failure, while cautioning that it was not a loss-of-control event. He argues that AI power should not be concentrated in a few companies or models, and says startups can help distribute that power through the economy.

Altman expects the next six months of model progress could feel like the previous two years, and says falling costs and faster cycles favor startups. He says a clear long-term vision can coexist with uncertainty about the first steps, but founders need to keep moving and seek new evidence when progress stalls.

Looking ten years ahead, Altman hopes AI gives people more freedom to choose how they spend their time and improves quality of life. He warns against a future that trades privacy and agency for comfort, abundance, or safety.