Sam Altman thinks the Vision Pro is the 2nd 'most impressive' technology since the iPhone

Sam Altman Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman praised Apple’s Vision Pro as the “second most impressive” tech since the iPhone.
• The Vision Pro, a mixed-reality headset, has the potential to usher in a new normal. 
• OpenAI’s ChatGPT is likely his pick for the most impressive technology.

Sam Altman had high praise for Apple’s Vision Pro this week, deeming the new spatial computer the “second most impressive” technology since the iPhone burst on the scene in 2007.

The OpenAI CEO made the comments in a post on X on Friday, days after the Vision Pro officially hit the market for $3,500 each.

The mixed-reality headset allows users to interact with digital media, which is integrated with the real world. Users can control the device’s app via their own eyes and fingers.

Business Insider reporter Jordan Hart said the device has the potential to usher in a new normal — just like Apple’s iPhone did more than 15 years ago.

But as revolutionary as the new tech might be, Altman said he considers the Vision Pro to be only the “second most impressive” device to emerge in the last 17 years.

He didn’t clarify what he thinks the most impressive technology is, but it’s safe to assume he was referring to artificial intelligence — and perhaps OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which launched in November 2022.

Altman has previously said AI is on track to change the world in ways not seen since the iPhone put a computer in people’s pockets.

ChatGPT has already started to influence industry and daily life in unprecedented ways. Altman reportedly told developers that he wants to make ChatGPT into a “supersmart personal assistant” for work.

But even though Altman loves ChatGPT, he doesn’t necessarily love its name. In response to his Friday X post, another user suggested Vision Pro had a bad name.

“chatgpt is a lot worse,” Altman followed up.

This isn’t the first time Altman has maligned OpenAI’s now-household name.

“It’s a horrible name but it may be too ubiquitous to ever change,” Altman told Trevor Noah on the comedian’s podcast, “What Now? with Trevor Noah” in December.