Latest news with #WTF
New York Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Liberal comic Marc Maron who helped popularize podcasting explains why he turned down Hillary Clinton interview
Stand-up comedian and podcast host Marc Maron told The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday why he decided to turn down an interview with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2017. Maron, a podcasting pioneer and host of the popular 'WTF with Marc Maron' podcast, interviewed former President Barack Obama in 2015, which helped open the door to high-level politicians willing to appear on his show, such as Hillary Clinton. When Maron's longtime producer Brendan McDonald pitched Clinton, fresh off her loss to President Donald Trump in the 2016 election, the comedian decided against interviewing the former Secretary of State. ''You're the guy to do this,'' McDonald recalled telling Maron. 'He adamantly disagreed.' Maron told The Hollywood Reporter that 'the success rate of getting to a candid place with politicians is very small,' and that his successful interview with Obama was an exception. 'And this is somebody who's divisive and controversial and has a history that's somewhat sordid, not by any fault of her own, but I just didn't see where I could go with that,' he said of the prospect of interviewing Clinton. 4 Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton walks on stage before her debate against Donald Trump at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas on Oct. 19, 2016. EPA 4 Marc Maron during his HBO show Marc Maron: Panicked. Karolina Wojtasik/HBO Although his 'WTF' podcast continues to maintain cultural relevance, Maron announced in June that he will be ending the long-running show. He told CNN on Thursday that he's just over the medium and noted that the podcast space has become oversaturated. 'I don't want to chase the cultural conversation through clickbait and garbage. You know, I don't want to be tethered,' Maron said. 'And now you're getting out just when everyone's 100% convinced that podcasts are deciding American elections and the future of mankind. Right? So why get out just when everyone catches up to you?' CNN anchor John Berman asked the comedian. 4 Maron told The Hollywood Reporter that 'the success rate of getting to a candid place with politicians is very small,' and that his successful interview with Obama was an exception. CNN 4 Hillary Clinton reacts during her concession speech after losing the 2016 Presidential Election to Donald Trump on Nov. 9, 2025. AFP/Getty Images Maron told the anchor that he never intended for the show to be about politics, and felt that it had run its course. 'And we really chose not to do politics and just do kind of profiles and sort of candid conversation,' he said, describing how he originally set up the show. 'And we were audio, and we remained audio because we believe that's the most intimate, you know, form.' He continued, noting that he's satisfied with how much content the show has produced and that he wants to get out with so many other podcasters competing on the scene. 'And also, if we stop and at this point, you know, we have a body of work that stands on its own. And in terms of, yeah, podcasts being the new medium, that means there's 10,000 podcasts. Everyone's doing one, and it's just, the environment is a little cluttered and oversaturated.' Fox News' Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Sam Altman says ‘25-year-olds in Mumbai or Bengaluru have never had more power,' shares bold vision for the future on Nikhil Kamath's podcast
From Code to Companies, AI Levels the Playing Field A Future Built on Ideas, Not Just Resources Why Family and Community Still Matter When Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath asked Sam Altman to imagine the life of a 25-year-old in Mumbai or Bengaluru, the OpenAI chief did not hesitate. For Altman, this is not just a good time to be starting out — it may be the best moment in on Kamath's WTF podcast, Altman painted an optimistic picture of what artificial intelligence means for young Indians entering the workforce. 'I think this is probably the most exciting time to be starting out one's career, maybe ever,' he said, according to the show's believes today's 25-year-old can achieve what once took decades of experience or large teams. Whether in programming, media creation, or entrepreneurship, tools like OpenAI's latest GPT-5 can act as a co-founder, strategist, and operations team rolled into one.'You could use GPT-5 to help you write the software for a product, handle customer support, draft marketing plans, even review legal documents,' he explained. 'All of these things that once required a lot of expertise, you now have AI to help you do.'For India specifically, Altman sees huge potential. 'If there is one large society in the world that seems most enthusiastic to transform with AI right now, it's India,' he told Kamath, praising the entrepreneurial energy and rapid adoption of AI-driven tools. He added that Indian user feedback has already shaped OpenAI's stressed that the AI era is an 'open canvas,' where constraints are fewer than ever before and creativity becomes the main differentiator. For young founders, that means the ability to launch ambitious projects with minimal resources. For those seeking jobs, it opens pathways into industries like science, software development, and emerging media, where AI accelerates what individuals can conversation took a personal turn when Kamath asked Altman about parenthood. Describing it as 'the coolest, most amazing, most emotionally overwhelming experience,' Altman said starting a family has been more fulfilling than he also shared a broader societal view: in a post-AGI world, family and community should regain importance. 'It's a problem for society that those things have been in retreat,' he said, expressing hope that with more abundance and time, people will turn back to what makes them message to a hypothetical 25-year-old in Mumbai or Bengaluru was clear: the world is in a rare moment where technology amplifies individual capability to unprecedented levels. With AI as a partner, opportunities are no longer limited by geography or resources — they're limited only by the boldness of one's ideas.
India.com
4 days ago
- Business
- India.com
India May Become Our Largest Market, Says OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
New Delhi: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Thursday said that India is now the AI firm's second-largest market in the world and "it may become our largest." He commented on a wide-ranging exchange on the WTF podcast with Indian entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath. "Having ChatGPT-5 is like having PhD-level experts in every field available to you 24/7, not only to ask anything but also to do anything for you, write code, generate research, plan an event," he said. Altman highlighted how the model can support almost every function of an early-stage business. "You could use GPT-5 to help you write the software for a product, help you handle customer support, help you write marketing and communications plans, help you review legal documents," he added. Altman believes it is the best time to start a career. He said AI tools like GPT-5 can help young Indians. It can assist in software, customer support, and marketing. Altman noted India's enthusiasm for AI transformation. He emphasised that AI creates an open canvas. Altman claimed that GPT-5 represents a significant leap in how people interact with AI across personal, creative, and professional use cases, unlocking not just answers but execution. He emphasised how feedback from Indian users, across language support, affordability, and access, has directly shaped product development at OpenAI. Altman said, "If there is one large society in the world that seems most enthusiastic to transform with AI right now, it's India. The excitement, the embrace of AI…the energy is incredible." The OpenAI CEO highlighted that the real opportunity for India lies in moving from consumption to global creation, building tools, platforms, and companies that the rest of the world will use. GPT‑5 is available to all users, with Plus subscribers getting more usage and Pro subscribers getting access to GPT‑5 Pro, a version with extended reasoning for even more comprehensive and accurate answers.
Economic Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Sam Altman says ‘25-year-olds in Mumbai or Bengaluru have never had more power,' shares bold vision for the future on Nikhil Kamath's podcast
Synopsis OpenAI chief Sam Altman believes it is the best time to start a career. He says AI tools like GPT-5 can help young Indians. It can assist in software, customer support, and marketing. Altman notes India's enthusiasm for AI transformation. He emphasizes that AI creates an open canvas. He also hopes family and community will regain importance. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman believes young Indians are entering the workforce at the most exciting time in history, thanks to AI. Speaking on Nikhil Kamath's podcast, Altman highlighted AI's potential to level the playing field, enabling individuals to achieve more with fewer resources. (Image: Screenshots/YouTube) When Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath asked Sam Altman to imagine the life of a 25-year-old in Mumbai or Bengaluru, the OpenAI chief did not hesitate. For Altman, this is not just a good time to be starting out — it may be the best moment in history. Speaking on Kamath's WTF podcast, Altman painted an optimistic picture of what artificial intelligence means for young Indians entering the workforce. 'I think this is probably the most exciting time to be starting out one's career, maybe ever,' he said, according to the show's transcript. Altman believes today's 25-year-old can achieve what once took decades of experience or large teams. Whether in programming, media creation, or entrepreneurship, tools like OpenAI's latest GPT-5 can act as a co-founder, strategist, and operations team rolled into one. 'You could use GPT-5 to help you write the software for a product, handle customer support, draft marketing plans, even review legal documents,' he explained. 'All of these things that once required a lot of expertise, you now have AI to help you do.' For India specifically, Altman sees huge potential. 'If there is one large society in the world that seems most enthusiastic to transform with AI right now, it's India,' he told Kamath, praising the entrepreneurial energy and rapid adoption of AI-driven tools. He added that Indian user feedback has already shaped OpenAI's products. Altman stressed that the AI era is an 'open canvas,' where constraints are fewer than ever before and creativity becomes the main differentiator. For young founders, that means the ability to launch ambitious projects with minimal resources. For those seeking jobs, it opens pathways into industries like science, software development, and emerging media, where AI accelerates what individuals can produce. The conversation took a personal turn when Kamath asked Altman about parenthood. Describing it as 'the coolest, most amazing, most emotionally overwhelming experience,' Altman said starting a family has been more fulfilling than he imagined. He also shared a broader societal view: in a post-AGI world, family and community should regain importance. 'It's a problem for society that those things have been in retreat,' he said, expressing hope that with more abundance and time, people will turn back to what makes them happiest. Altman's message to a hypothetical 25-year-old in Mumbai or Bengaluru was clear: the world is in a rare moment where technology amplifies individual capability to unprecedented levels. With AI as a partner, opportunities are no longer limited by geography or resources — they're limited only by the boldness of one's ideas.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Nikhil Kamath interviews Sam Altman, fans react: ‘Wish this podcast changes Nikhil's perspective on family, kids'
Nikhil Kamath recently hosted Sam Altman on his WTF podcast, where the two discussed a range of topics – from tech to education to entrepreneurship and more. The CEO of OpenAI, one of Kamath's most high-profile guests in recent times, revealed that India is OpenAI's second-largest market and could well become the largest in the future. Nikhil Kamath hosted OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on his People by WTF podcast. Altman, 40, also spoke at length about GPT-5 and how this model differs from its predecessors. 'There's a fluency and a depth of intelligence with GPT-5 that we haven't had in any previous model,' Altman said, adding that it was now 'painful' for him to switch to previous generation models. India as AI's next powerhouse When Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of Zerodha, asked Altman how India could shape the future of AI, the OpenAI chief was optimistic. 'India is now our second largest market in the world, it may become our largest,' he said. 'If there is one large society in the world that seems most enthusiastic to transform with AI right now, it's India. The excitement, the embrace of AI… the energy is incredible.' On family and kids The conversation veered from professional to personal when Kamath, 38, questioned Altman about the importance of family. 'So I ponder on this a lot Sam- kids. Why people have kids and also questions like what happens to religion and marriage tomorrow. Can I ask you why you had a kid?' Kamath asked the CEO of OpenAI, who has a son with partner Oliver Mulherin. Altman said that having a family has been more meaningful than he could have ever imagined. 'Family has always been an incredibly important thing to me and I didn't even know how much I underestimated what it was actually going to be like,' Altman replied. 'But it felt like the most important and meaningful and fulfilling thing I could imagine doing and it has so far exceeded all expectations.' Social media reacts Viewers on YouTube, where the podcast dropped this afternoon, were stunned that Kamath managed to pull another high profile guest. 'Bro can pull anyone in this world,' wrote one person. 'Wow, the quality is increasing day by day. Directly, the OG himself on the podcast,' another said. Some also hoped that the conversation with Altman would change the Indian billionaire's perspective on marriage and kids. 'I wish this Podcast changes Nikhil's perspective about having a family and raising kids,' wrote one commenter. 'Most common q in every Nikhil's podcasts: why do you have kids?' another quipped.
