Sam Altman exploded. And the CEO of OpenAI was forced to ask that reduce “expectations 100 times” about its next superAI. A situation which is very reminiscent of what Apple has always experienced, and more recently with the iPhone 16 or the Apple Vision Pro, where Tim Cook also had to go out to calm down in the face of excessive expectations.
Fanboys Can Be the Best (and Worst) for Business
If Apple's history has taught us anything, it's that the most die-hard fans can be Just like Apple's defenders on the outside, but the most hateful on the inside. Tim Cook knows this well: every keynote is accompanied by criticism for “lack of innovation”. But not just Tim; Just go to the comments section of this same site and read the comments on the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 5… Now, Sam Altman is experiencing the same phenomenon with ChatGPT AI. And after revolutionizing the world with the most popular chatbot two years ago, its own “fanboys” are demanding the same revolutionaries.
The reality is that the two companies are following surprisingly similar paths. While Tim Cook defends his “No first, but the best” with Vision Pro, Altman warns that its super AI “isn’t even built yet”. Both try to make people understand that innovation takes time.
Sam Altman asks X to lower his expectations
Mark Zuckerberg also recently said that Apple is no longer innovating. That after the iPhone, there was nothing else. Reality shows something else: Apple Watch, AirPods, Apple Silicon and now Vision Pro. All the innovations arrived when they were readynot when fans asked for them. Steve Jobs once said: “People don’t know what they want until you show them.” Tim Cook and Sam Altman discover that sometimes you have to curb your fans' enthusiasm to do things right.
More than 13 years ago, Apple suffered from a “lack of innovation”
Innovation requires patience and knowledge
Tim Cook admitted that Apple Vision Pro is not for everyone in the face of criticism over low sales and high price. Likewise, Sam Altman warns that his superAI “will be a very limited resource”. Super AI (also known as Strawberry) is an ambitious OpenAI project which aims to be the next big step in the evolution of artificial intelligence. Its features include:
- Ability to conduct in-depth investigations
- Generating more human responses
- Plan ahead of user needs
- Autonomous search for information on the Internet
- Improvements to reasoning skills
And that's it Both OpenAI and Apple face a similar dilemma: How do you keep your followers excited without their expectations skyrocketing to unrealistic levels? The difference is in the experience. Apple has been dealing with this phenomenon for decades.
Tim Cook showed thatThe long-term vision is above all criticism. The Apple Watch has been criticized for being late. It is now one of the best-selling watches, even above traditional and analog watches. AirPods were too expensive; Today, they are objects of copy and imitation. Apple Vision Pro wouldn't go anywhere…its competitors launched a carbon copy with Android XR.
A quick tweet, an easy review. It is curious to see how from home and comfortably seated on a sofa, many seem to have the solution so that Apple or OpenAI innovate more quickly. But the reality at Apple Park or in the OpenAI offices is very different: decisions that affect millions of users, technologies that must work perfectly, accountability for every step taken. Businesses listen, learn and evolvebut they do it at their own pace. And maybe, just maybe, this slower pace is exactly what we need.
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