The ability to turn on a dime is an essential quality for a tech start-up. It means reacting quickly when bigger rivals turn up the competitive heat, or redirecting resources when Plan A doesn’t work out. Most venture investors like to say they back entrepreneurs, rather than particular strategies: strategies tend to get torn up as messy business realities intrude.
If that is one important measure of a start-up’s effectiveness, then OpenAI may be starting to show its mettle.
This week, the company that triggered the generative AI boom announced plans to scrap a once-hyped video generation app called Sora, along with an eye-catching $1bn deal with Disney reached less than four months ago. In another sign it was backing away from unnecessary distractions, it has also put controversial plans for an erotic chatbot on indefinite hold.