Sam Altman explains why he deleted TikTok despite loving the app, he realized it was too addictive and he lacked the self-control to limit his usage, even when he'd intended to use it just to wind down before bed.
Sam Altman shares why he deleted TikTok despite loving the app, it was simply too addictive to control. A candid reflection on how even the most powerful platforms can override our best intentions.
Sam Altman deleted TikTok from his device because he felt the app was too powerful and that he lacked sufficient self-control to manage his usage. Despite enjoying the platform in the moment, he recognized that it was detrimental to his wellbeing and chose to remove it entirely rather than continue struggling with compulsive use.
Altman deliberately became addicted to TikTok while building the Sora app, a decision made intentionally to study the platform's mechanics. His goal was to understand what made TikTok so engaging so that he could avoid building something similarly designed to absorb users' time.
What began as a controlled habit quickly spiraled beyond his expectations. Altman initially intended to limit his TikTok use to just ten minutes before bed, but found himself watching for an hour one night and three hours during a Saturday afternoon. Even after briefly regaining control and reducing his usage back to five to ten minutes nightly, he ultimately decided the app needed to be deleted from his phone.
The speaker deleted TikTok because they felt it was too powerful and they didn't have enough self-control to keep it under control. Despite enjoying it in the moment, they recognized it was bad for them and decided to remove it entirely rather than continue struggling with their usage.
The speaker deliberately got addicted to TikTok while building the Sora app because they wanted to learn from it. They didn't want to build something that would absorb people's time, which is why they studied TikTok's addictive qualities.
The speaker initially thought they could control their usage to just 10 minutes before bed, but found it quickly escalated to an hour one night and three hours on a Saturday afternoon. Even when they briefly got it back under control at 5-10 minutes nightly, they eventually decided to delete the app entirely.
More videos by William Lebovics →
Watch on Yesodi → Join Yesodi →