Next OpenAI Gong Show: Buying Tech Talk Show TBPN
When billionaires buy media, free speech is the first casualty. TBPN is next.
This week tech talk show TBPN sold itself to one of the biggest and most controversial companies it covers: OpenAI. The unexpected acquisition reverberated throughout Tech and Media circles, as if the show hosts smashed the gong they use on air during their 3-hour weekday streaming show.
Why would an AI company prepping for an IPO buy a media show? To control the narrative. The gong was just a bonus.
The laughable part is the company insisting TBPN will maintain its editorial independence. History isn’t in TBPN’s favor. When a billionaire buys a media company, it always starts off with them patting themselves on the back. How their wealth is allowing them to provide this noble gesture to protect Free Speech and Democracy.
It’s bullshit.
Billionaires choke on their own words as soon as it’s a threat to the bottom line or their own personal wealth, backfiring aggressively on the Freedom of Press claims and hurting Democracy as a whole. Because at the end of the day, a billionaire cares most about … their billions.
To fully dissect just how messy this will get — all of which ultimately will limit what information is available to the public — we’re going to look at two aspects of this news.
All the business changes that have already been announced for TBPN, throwing every red flag saying TBPN will not maintain editorial independence.
What’s happened every time a billionaire has bought a media brand and kept that brand quiet to cover their own ass, hurting the public. Think the Los Angeles Times and the Washington Post, owned by Jeff Bezos of Amazon.
And before you dismiss any concerns, remember media owners impacted the outcome of the last 3 Presidential elections, all involving Donald Trump.
