Guess Sam Altman’s Most Used App? Hint: It’s Not ChatGPT

• Sam Altman was interviewed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on his podcast recently.

• The tech titans discussed the future of artificial intelligence, its societal impact, and which application they use the most.
  
• It was revealed that ChatGPT is not the OpenAI’s CEO’s most used app. It is actually Slack followed by Apple iMessage.

What happens when two tech giants from different generations sit down together to talk about where AI is headed next? Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, who brought to us the life-changing ChatGPT model was invited as a guest on Bill Gates’ podcast “Unconfuse Me“. A pioneer in artificial intelligence, he is largely known for his vision and work on ChatGPT, which is one of the most popular AI tools used in the world today. Microsoft is the largest investor in OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Speaking to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Sam Altman revealed the app he uses the most. And surprisingly, it is not OpenAI’s very own ChatGPT. The tech titans discussed various topics at length. This included the societal impact of new technologies, the current state of AI, and the future of OpenAI. During the talk, Gates asked Altman – “What application on the phone do you use the most?“

Also Read: From Challenges to Solutions: Shaping an Inclusive AI Driven World

To everyone’s surprise, Sam’s most used app is not the one he created himself. He revealed that ChatGPT is not the app that he uses the most on his phone. The OpenAI CEO said, “I wish I could say ChatGPT.” So which is it? It’s Slack. “I didn’t quite count the [ChatGPT] browser as an app. It’s possible I use it more, but I still would bet Slack. I’m on Slack all day” revealed Sam. “A close second is iMessage,” he added.

What Is Slack?

Slack is a team communication platform developed by Salesforce-owned Slack Technologies. It is a communication app used by a plethora of companies, including Beebom. The messaging platform allows users to create channels for different topics, projects, or teams, facilitating organised discussions.

You can text, share files, integrate various third-party applications to streamline workflow and manage day-to-day tasks across the various channels. Reportedly, many Fortune 100 companies also use Slack as their primary communication interface. It has over 12 million daily active users and over 750,000 paid customers.

The communication app, Slack being Sam Altman’s most used app shows how busy the CEO gets managing and coordinating the efforts at OpenAI. On the second position of Altman’s most used apps, comes Apple’s iMessage, which is quite common in the US. During this interview, Sam Altman also said “Each technological revolution has gotten faster. [Artificial intelligence] will be the fastest by far.”

Another Revelation

The OpenAI CEO was then asked by the Microsoft CEO if he uses Slack more than E-mail too. Altman responded affirmatively saying, “Way more than email. The only thing that I was thinking possibly iMessages. But yes, more than that.” Interestingly, Altman’s preference for Slack over ChatGPT is not the only case where OpenAI employees use a rival product instead of their own.

In November 2023, it was revealed that OpenAI employees use Google Meet, the video conferencing service by Google, for their meetings, rather than Microsoft Teams, the collaboration platform by Microsoft. This raised some eyebrows, as Microsoft and OpenAI have a close partnership, with the former investing $1 billion in the latter in 2019. However, OpenAI clarified that they use both Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, depending on the situation and the preference of the participants.

Bill Gates’ Most Used App

As for Gates, he said that his most-used app was Outlook, the email client by Microsoft. “It is Outlook. I am this old-style email guy…either that or the browser. Because of course, a lot of my news is coming through the browser,” Bill Gates said.

Slack vs Other Apps

Slack is the most used but not the only app that Altman uses, of course. He also mentioned that he likes iMessage because it is simple, reliable, and secure. Altman uses other apps for specific purposes, such as Uber for transportation, Spotify for music, and Netflix for entertainment. He said that he tries to limit his app usage to the ones that he really needs and avoid distractions and clutter.

Gates agreed with Altman on the importance of being selective with apps. He said that he also uses the apps mentioned by the OpenAI CEO as well as some other apps that he finds useful, such as Duolingo for learning languages, Khan Academy for education, and Headspace for meditation.

Gates also said that he uses some apps that are related to his philanthropic work, such as Malaria No More, which aims to end malaria in the world, and Giving Pledge, which encourages billionaires to donate their wealth to charitable causes.

Wasn’t it super interesting to know what applications two of the greatest tech giants in the world use on the daily? We hope to come across more such interesting facts and anecdotes via Bill Gates’ podcast and other tech channels.