Sam Altman: "TikTok Too Powerful, Like Drug" For OpenAI Sora

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says he became addicted to TikTok. He revealed this while studying user engagement to build the Sora app. What's interesting is he intentionally immersed himself in the platform. He wanted to understand how high-retention social media apps work. This was to avoid building features that aggressively consume users' time. Altman initially thought he could limit his usage. But browsing sessions often extended for hours, sometimes even three hours. He described the platform as functioning "much like a drug." This made it difficult to regulate use. He eventually deleted the app entirely. He also disabled all mobile notifications for better focus. This story highlights the powerful pull of social media and its potential impact on even seasoned tech leaders.