Why Sam Altman thinks you should write more

Transmission #13 from Jupiter Dispatch

Oct 10, 2024

`Time: 3.20 Minutes`

The dawn of AI is happening and a lot of stuff is going on right now.

We all looking up study reports if our jobs are in danger or not. Students don’t break out in sweat anymore thinking of their coursework.

And the world wide web gets filled with new content in record times…

And then, there is OpenAI CEO Sam Altman stating “that he still writes on his own without AI”.

How is this coming together? And why he thinks you should write more on your own?

Reminds me of a drug dealer which not takes his own stuff.

But I got his point. Writing sounds not completely obvious if you think of the skillset an entrepreneur should have.

In the below linked talk, Sam makes some good points. Here are some interesting thoughts of the conversation:

Writing is clarified thinking: If you write down your thoughts, you have to bring them in order and find clear and simple statements. This is useful to think problems and solutions through.
He takes analog notes all day: In the conversation Sam explains his method of taking notes. He uses a dedicated Pen and little college block. Which allows him to take pages out if he wants. (I run with a Moleskin notebook and stylus from Japan, fancy I know 🙃)
He makes time for writing: Obviously Sam is a very busy man running OpenAI, so he writes at the weekend. A great example to make time to write in your schedule.
He thinks through his problems: If he faces a problem, like on what idea to work on next, he writes about that for his own. This helps to clarify and understand all aspects better, and this is how he decided years ago to work on OpenAI.
Writing is work in progress: When he is asked about his strategy memos at OpenAI, he stated that the first memo had 20 pages, the second 10 pages, and now they could bring all together in one page. Shows the progression you can make over time thinking through a topic with writing.

Here is the whole talk with Sam… (a real banger)

Currently he’s maybe one of the most prolific thinkers on earth. Of course we can’t and shouldn’t copy everything he’s doing. But his stories show how writing can help you to improve at many stages of your career.

Here is the Channel How I write, which I recommend you. And Sam Altman’s blog, to get a better understanding of how he is writing.

Stay curious.

your favourite Domi

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