Does Michael Arrington Think Sam Altman Is Evil?

Michael Arrington said he has known Sam Altman a long time. He met Altman in the TechCrunch days, when Altman had a Sequoia-backed startup and sold it, and Arrington knew him again when Altman took over Y Combinator. Arrington called him a very smart man, an exceptional salesperson, and a person with exceptional charisma.

Delphi host Tommy asked, "Do you think he's evil?" Arrington answered, "He's evil. I believe he's a psychopath." Arrington then said, "Which is different than being evil." Delphi host Tommy asked, "Why is it different?" Arrington answered, "Well, a psychopath is a medical condition, right? Uh, it's something that, that happens to you and you can't help. And there are plenty of psychopaths, you know, that aren't evil." He brought up the fictional character Dexter, then said, "I'm not a psychiatrist, so I can't really diagnose anybody."

Asked how he could tell, Arrington said the hairs on the back of the neck stick up in the person's presence, and that he probably misdiagnoses all the time. The "he's evil" line is Arrington's opinion of Sam Altman. It is not a medical finding.