> No one is going to gain anything from this one way or another.

Then why did Altman even bother to make this very public statement?

To answer the people asking when GPT5 is coming out, probably.

CEOs often make public statements for recruiting and to steer the company internally, it's important to mimmic what you say inside the company outside the company, maybe even more so.

Altman's made it clear he does not mind being wrong.

Smart people are allowed to make mistakes.

He was a guest on an AI-related discussion panel [1]. I did not attend, but I would guess someone asked him “do you think models will have to continuing growing to even larger sizes,” or something like that, and this was his answer.

Honestly, that anyone thinks he has “ulterior motives” here is hilarious to me. Every day I think more and more that we can no longer think critically on the internet.

[1] https://www.imaginationinaction.co/

He is using his authority to put an idea in the minds of others. That idea is:

"don't bother competing with me. i have already won."