OpenAI's Sam Altman calls MBA students a chronic disappointment for chasing old trends
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told Stanford Graduate School of Business students that MBA graduates often pursue established career paths instead of emerging opportunities, calling it his "chronic disappointment." Speaking in an interview reported by Fortune, Altman said many want to do what was "cool five years ago" rather than try something new, and advised that now is a great time to start ventures.
Key points
- Altman calls MBA focus on established paths his chronic disappointment
- AI will transform jobs but transition takes time, Altman says
- Altman expects companies built on OpenAI tech to surpass OpenAI
Altman said AI will transform large parts of the job market, with huge numbers of tasks done better, cheaper, and faster, though the transition will take time. He expects many companies built on OpenAI's technology to become larger and more important than OpenAI itself. Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and entrepreneur Mark Cuban echoed the view that AI-era startups have an advantage and that treating AI as a core capability is essential.
The article notes that Stanford reported in 2016 that the share of MBA students choosing startups was about three times the early-1990s level, and that founding a company remains high-risk. The practical takeaway is to build AI fluency regardless of career path.
OpenAI's Sam Altman is disappointed with MBA students; AI will reshape jobs but also create big openings for founders, he says
educationtimes.com · 28 October 2026
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