OpenAI acquires tech news podcast TBPN

Technology Business Programming Network (TBPN), a daily podcast hosted by John Coogan and Jordi Hays, covers technology and business news and features interviews with major technology leaders. It airs for three hours a day on platforms such as YouTube, X, and Spotify, and has acquired a strong following in Silicon Valley since launching in 2025.

TBPN generated about $5m in advertising revenue in 2025 and is on track to exceed $30m this year, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the deal.

Fidji Simo, CEO of AGI Deployment at OpenAI, said the acquisition “brings a team with strong editorial instincts, deep audience understanding, and a proven ability to convene influential voices across tech, business, and culture.”

“TBPN has built something pretty special. It’s one of the places where the conversation about AI and builders is actually happening day to day. A lot of you already watch it and rely on it to stay close to what’s going on,” said Simo.

In a blogpost, Simo suggested that the acquisition was driven by a desire for OpenAI to communicate about its work and technology more effectively. She said that AI wanted to “help create a space for a real, constructive conversation about the changes AI creates” but that “rather than trying to recreate that ourselves, it made a lot of sense to bring [TBPN] in, support what they’re doing, and help them scale – while keeping what makes them special.”

OpenAI said that TBPN would retain editorial independence, and that its “amazing comms and marketing instincts” were an important factor in the deal. Simo said: “I can't wait to leverage their talent outside of the show to innovate on how we bring AI to the world in a way that helps people understand the full impact of this technology on their daily lives.

In a statement, Jordi Hays, Co-Founder and Co-Host of TBPN, said: “Over the past year, we’ve had a front-row seat not just to OpenAI, but to the entire ecosystem, covering the daily news, announcements, and launches in real time. While we’ve been critical of the industry at times, after getting to know Sam and the OpenAI team, what stood out most was their openness to feedback and commitment to getting this right. Moving from commentary to real impact in how this technology is distributed and understood globally is incredibly important to us.”

Disney recently withdrew its licensing agreement with OpenAI, following the AI company’s decision to drop its video generation tool Sora. Discover more here.