January 13, 2026
Siri ghosted Sam. Internet did not.
The rapid rise and slow decline of Sam Altman
From Senate star to Siri snub: fans split, haters loud
TLDR: Apple reportedly chose Google over OpenAI for Siri, fueling talk that Sam Altman’s momentum is slipping. Comments split between “overhyped scam” jabs and “LLMs changed my life” defenses, with extra snark aimed at Gary Marcus’s dunk pieces — a reminder that AI’s story is as much vibes as metrics.
Gary Marcus says Sam Altman’s shine is fading, and the latest plot twist is pure tabloid: Apple reportedly went with Google, not OpenAI, to power the next Siri — a public “thanks, but no thanks” after that flashy 2024 pilot. Add strained vibes with Microsoft, a price war triggered by DeepSeek, Anthropic stealing enterprise clients, a late and underwhelming GPT-5, and that dramatic “code red” — and you’ve got a soap opera with servers.
The comments? A circus. hiddencost rolls their eyes: “Why. Do. We. Keep. Posting. Gary. Marcus.” The skeptics are out in force, with codyklimdev wondering if Altman is inching toward an “Elizabeth Holmes style figure,” and the meme squad pushing “Scam Altman” jokes and quips like “Siri ghosted Sam.” Meanwhile, arjie is over the dunk-fest, calling this genre of “he’s losing!!” content boring.
But the defenders show up swinging. submeta says their entire work life changed in December 2022, claiming LLMs make them “10–100x more productive” at writing, coding, and research — basically a digital superpower. Practical types say boardroom drama doesn’t matter if the tools help them ship. And fairity wants critics to bet real money on their takes. The vibe: a live split-screen of tech hero vs hype machine, with popcorn in every hand.
Key Points
- •The article describes Sam Altman’s rapid rise by mid-2023, including meetings with U.S. senators and tech leaders, and notes Microsoft’s multibillion-dollar investment after ChatGPT’s release.
- •It reports that Apple ran a pilot with OpenAI in 2024 and now is opting to use Google’s technology for integrating generative AI into Siri.
- •The piece cites strained relations, including Elon Musk’s legal dispute headed to a jury and reporting that the Microsoft–OpenAI partnership has become strained.
- •Competitive pressures are highlighted: Anthropic gaining enterprise market share and DeepSeek triggering a price war that led OpenAI to cut prices.
- •It states that OpenAI has not achieved profitability, references limited ROI for corporate AI users, and notes Altman declared a “code red” in December 2025 as Google’s Gemini rapidly gained users.