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Why Google could have built ChatGPT first but didn't

Masters of ScaleMasters of Scale · Uncovering the $7 trillion reputation economy

“could have released a ChatGPT like product earlier, but chose not to because of reputational risks, which, of course, OpenAI as a newcomer didn't worry about.”

26:58 / 27:16

could have released a ChatGPT like product earlier, but chose not to because of reputational risks, which, of course, OpenAI as a newcomer didn't worry about. Right? Like, did you have conversations about things like that that sort of had to deal with those risks?

About this clip

This clip explores how established tech companies like Google had the capability to release ChatGPT-like products earlier but held back due to reputational concerns. It highlights how newcomer OpenAI had a competitive advantage precisely because they didn't have an existing reputation to protect, allowing them to take risks that incumbents wouldn't.

Why this clip

This reveals a counterintuitive competitive dynamic where having an established reputation can actually be a strategic disadvantage in emerging tech markets.

26:58 - 27:1618smarket insight
ai-competitionreputation-riskincumbent-disadvantage

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What they said next

maybe this is what leadership looks like. Right? When you're constantly having to sort of juggle this idea of exposure, social exposure, real life exposure, reputation exposure, and her first thought was about the safety of her people, the safety of her creators.

24:13 - 23s · Practical Framework

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