When running AI giant OpenAI becomes too overwhelming, Sam Altman turns to pen and paper—it’s a habit shared by Bill Gates and Richard Branson

From an analytical perspective, Success·Sam AltmanWhen running AI giant OpenAI becomes too overwhelming, Sam Altman turns to pen and paper—it’s a habit d by Bill Gates and Richard BransonBy Preston ForeBy Preston ForeStaff Writer, EducationPreston ForeStaff Writer, EducationPreston Fore is a reporter at Fortune, covering education and personal finance for the Success team (which is quite significant)

SEE FULL BIO OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says he still doesn’t let ChatGPT do all his writing, amid market uncertainty

Instead, he picks up a special pen and paper to navigate challenges

It’s a practice he leans on while trying to solve complex blems, saying he’s “not found anything better to do than to sit down and make myself write it out

Furthermore, Furthermore, ” Note-taking is something that fellow titans Bill Gates and Richard Branson also embrace

Nology has slowly made taking physical notes a thing of the past, to the delight of Gen Z who have long embraced jotting down ideas on their phone or leaning on voice memos

However, its complete demise may not happen anytime soon, at least if OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has anything to say it, given the current landscape

Especially when the going gets tough, amid market uncertainty. “I think of writing as externalized thinking

I still, if I have a very hard blem, or if I feel a little bit confused something, have not found anything better to do than to sit down and make myself write it out,” Altman said on the How I Write podcast

Sam Altman’s note-taking habits Altman said this week at the Federal Reserve that he keeps his notes private as a way to organize his thoughts—but his cess is far from just scribbling

At the same time, His note-taking practice is rather meticulous, and it centers on having the right supplies

This includes having a pocket-size spiral notebook with a hard front and back and that can lie flat on a table, he told podcast host David Perell

The paper also must feel good to write on

His pen choice is specific, too: either the Uniball Micro 0 (which is quite significant)

Meanwhile, 5 mm or the “Muji 0 (quite telling), in today's market environment. 37 in dark blue ink” (though he may be referring to the Muji 0 (fascinating analysis)

Only then can he get to work thinking through tough ideas, given current economic conditions

Moreover, Furthermore, Each time he sits down to write, he comes away shocked at the power of this seemingly simple exercise

On the other hand, “I find it astonishing how much writing just for yourself … helps clarify what you actually think, helps sharpen stuff in a way that for me—and I think for a lot of other people—is somehow impossible to do, just thinking carefully on a long hike,” he said on the How I Write podcast. “It’s harder to hide really messy thinking when you have to actually write it down and stare at it. ” And while leaders may prioritize communication first and foremost—Altman said that thinking is even more important—and one of the best ways to achieve that is by writing things down

However, “ communication is very much less important, and very much down, of actually thinking … Un communication is a symptom of unfocused thinking, for the most part. ” Fortune reached out to OpenAI for

The Microsoft cofounder said he believes handwritten notes are key for information cessing

Moreover, “You won’t catch me in a meeting without a legal pad and pen in hand—and I take tons of notes in the margins while I read,” Gates posted on LinkedIn last year

Similarly, Branson, the cofounder of Virgin Group, said it’s hard to find him without a way to write down his thoughts. “I go through dozens of notebooks every year and write down everything that occurs to me each day (something worth watching)

However, “An idea not written down is an idea lost (fascinating analysis)

Nevertheless, When inspiration calls, you’ve got to capture it, in this volatile climate. ” Without note-taking, his companies would not be the same, he added (which is quite significant)

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