01 / Stillness沉静
Rachmaninoff
A little room for thought. A great deal of feeling.
Sviatoslav Richter · DG Prestige · French LP
VIEW THIS COPY →I. Moderato
Official audio · Richter / WisłockiListening Note 004 - Sam Altman
LISTENING NOTE 004 / SAM ALTMAN
The background
music of
the future.
ดนตรีประกอบแห่งอนาคต
I work with ChatGPT every day.
Then I wondered: what do the people behind it listen to?
Stillness. Restlessness. Thought. Fantasy.
This time, we start with Sam.
— Dave
THE LISTENING ROOM
Four records.
Four states of mind.
Music mentioned by Sam.
Editions selected by Dave.
02 / Restlessness躁动
blink-182
Before the future, there was being young.
UO exclusive · Green Glass Splatter LP
VIEW THIS COPY →What's My Age Again?
Official music video
03 / Reflection思考
Max Richter
Something familiar. Heard another way.
Vivaldi Recomposed · 2022 · Deutsche Grammophon
VIEW THIS COPY →Spring 1 — 2022
Official music video
04 / Fantasy幻想
Not every dream needs to become a plan.
Rose Garden Pink · Taylor's Version · 2LP
VIEW THIS COPY →Wildest Dreams (Taylor's Version)
Official lyric video · edition chosen by DaveTaylor Swift
One track from each record. Click a YouTube thumbnail to play. The moods above are Dave’s reading of the music.
SOURCE FILE / INTERVIEWS · 2023–2024 +
FILE 01 · PUBLISHED
Life in Seven Songs
The San Francisco Standard · Interview by Sophie Bearman
Episode: OpenAI’s Sam Altman: the human behind the machine.
Sam’s selections include Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (Sviatoslav Richter), blink-182’s “What’s My Age Again?” and Max Richter’s “Spring 1”.
FILE 02 · PUBLISHED
Unconfuse Me · Episode 6
Interview by Bill Gates
Asked to bring a favourite record, Sam brought Max Richter’s The New Four Seasons – Vivaldi Recomposed and discussed listening to instrumental music while working.
FILE 03 · LIVE INTERVIEW
A Year in TIME
Interview by Sam Jacobs · New York
At 15:19–15:32, asked for his favourite Taylor Swift song, Sam named “Wildest Dreams”.
Music mentioned by Sam; physical editions selected by Dave. Taylor’s Version and the pink pressing are Dave’s choices. No affiliation or endorsement.