OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will attend state dinner for Trump-Xi summit in Washington

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, shares the habit of many Americans when it comes to unwinding before bedtime: he turns to TikTok. In a recent conversation with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Altman expressed his fondness for short-form video content. He said, "I happen to like the ability to watch 5 or 10 minutes of short-form video before I go to bed as a way to unwind and relax a little bit."

However, Altman's relationship with TikTok has not always been so balanced. When he was working on OpenAI's video generation app, Sora, Altman started using TikTok to understand the short-form video experience. At first, it was just a few minutes of scrolling before bed, but soon it turned into longer sessions. One Saturday, he found himself scrolling for three hours straight.

Eventually, he decided to delete TikTok, acknowledging that the app was too powerful and he lacked the self-control to keep using it. As a father, Altman is even more cautious about the impact of TikTok on children. He doesn't want his young son exposed to the app and believes it's unreasonable to expect kids to resist the addictive nature of short-form video.

Research shows that teenagers spend excessive time on TikTok, with 28% feeling they spend too much time on the platform, 37% experiencing negative effects on sleep, and 29% reporting it hinders their productivity. Altman's experience with TikTok has made him reflect on the broader implications of AI technology. Like other business leaders, Altman uses social media like TikTok to understand Gen Z and stay current.

However, he emphasizes the importance of moderation and recommends stepping away from the chaos for brief periods, such as reading WeChat messages or scrolling on social media in moderation.