OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says AI is still awaiting its "iPhone moment" — a breakthrough that transforms the technology from niche tools into mass-market essentials. Speaking on a David Senra podcast reported by TNW, Altman compared today's AI landscape to the pre-iPhone smartphone era of Windows CE, Nokia, and Palm OS devices. He recalled owning a Palm Treo around 2003, noting that while all technological pieces exist, no one has yet found the "magic formula" to completely change how people interface with technology in everyday life.

Altman acknowledged a key lesson from Apple: the discipline to say "no" to a thousand good ideas to focus on the very few great ones, a principle famously articulated by Steve Jobs. He admitted he has been bad at killing good ideas to protect the great ones and conceded he was overly ambitious about how quickly AI would disrupt the economy.

Paradoxically, Altman predicts "the greatest boom in people starting smaller businesses that we have ever seen." He believes AI will enable new ventures, but also foresees success for businesses "precisely because they have nothing to do with AI," as consumers increasingly seek authentic, non-technological experiences.