The Surprising Reason Why Slack is OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s Favorite App

Slack, the team communication platform developed by Salesforce-owned Technologies, is the most-used app for OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. He revealed this in a podcast with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who also shared his own app preferences.

Slack vs ChatGPT

The podcast, titled ‘Unconfuse Me’, featured a conversation between Gates and Altman on various topics, including the most-used apps on their phones. Altman admitted that he wished he could say ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot created by his own company, OpenAI. However, he said that Slack was his top choice, followed by iMessage, the messaging service by Apple.

“I use Slack way more than email. The only thing that I was thinking was possibly iMessages. But yes, more than that,” Altman said.

ChatGPT, which was launched in 2023, is an AI chatbot that can generate realistic and engaging conversations on any topic. It is powered by GPT-3, the largest and most advanced language model in the world, also developed by OpenAI. Microsoft, which is the largest investor in OpenAI, has exclusive access to GPT-3 and its future versions.

Slack vs Microsoft Teams

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 reported that OpenAI staff 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.

Slack vs Outlook

As for Gates, he said that his most-used app was Outlook, the email client by Microsoft. He described himself as an “old-style email guy” who gets a lot of his news through the browser.

“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,” Gates said.

Altman joked that he did not count the browser as an app, but he still would bet on Slack as his most-used app. He said that he was on Slack all day, as it allowed him to communicate with his team and other collaborators.

Slack is a popular messaging platform that enables users to create channels for different topics, projects, or teams, facilitating organized discussions. Users can also share messages, and files, and integrate various third-party applications to streamline their workflow. Slack has over 12 million daily active users and over 750,000 paid customers, as of 2023.

Slack vs Other Apps

Slack is not the only app that Altman uses, of course. He also mentioned that he uses iMessage, the messaging service by Apple, as his second most-used app. He said that he likes iMessage because it is simple, reliable, and secure.

Altman also said that he 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 Uber, Spotify, and Netflix, 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.

Slack vs Future Apps

The podcast ended with a discussion on the future of apps and how they will evolve with AI and other technologies. Altman said that he expects apps to become more intelligent, personalized, and conversational and that ChatGPT is an example of that direction.

He said that he hopes that ChatGPT will become more widely available and accessible and that it will enable people to have meaningful and enjoyable interactions with AI. He said that ChatGPT is still a work in progress and that he welcomes feedback and suggestions from users.

Gates said that he is impressed by ChatGPT and the potential of AI to transform the app landscape. He said that he is optimistic about the future of apps and how they will improve the lives of people around the world. He said that he is looking forward to seeing more innovations and breakthroughs from OpenAI and other AI companies.