OpenAI received valuable guidance from Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, according to Sam Altman.

After ChatGPT gained worldwide popularity, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman relied heavily on advice from his friend Brian Chesky, CEO and co-founder of Airbnb.

A lot of people offered to help Altman once ChatGPT launched and quickly surged in popularity in late 2022, but ultimately didn't pitch in, he said in a joint interview with Chesky at the Aspen Ideas Festival on Wednesday.

As Chesky navigated its rapid ascendancy, Microsoft-backed artificial intelligence company became a close confidant of Altman.

""Brian was the person who would sit with me for three hours every other week and provide me with a list of five things I needed to do, where I was falling behind, what I was doing wrong, what I needed to do proactively, and what I needed to think about," Altman said."

Altman stated that Chesky was "almost always right," and he learned to "just always shut up and follow the advice."

According to Altman, Chesky provided guidance on key areas of OpenAI's business, including hiring and strategy mapping.

Recently, Chesky advised Altman that he should consider the political implications of the company's generative AI technology more deeply.

OpenAI's expanding empire

In just two months, ChatGPT surpassed 100 million monthly active users, becoming the fastest-growing consumer application in history.

The growth of OpenAI brought with it a multitude of challenges for its leadership, including the development of more advanced versions of ChatGPT, DALL-E, and Sora.

AI has faced larger concerns about money, safety, and its future.

OpenAI's nonprofit board controls the for-profit arm of the company, which has received $13 billion in funding from Microsoft and was valued at $80 billion or more earlier this year.

Last year, Altman faced scrutiny when he was unexpectedly ousted from the company, but was reinstated as CEO less than a week later.

In a podcast episode of "The TED AI Show," Helen Toner, a former OpenAI board member, revealed the reasons behind the decision to fire Sam Altman. According to Toner, Altman's actions made it challenging for the board to prioritize AI safety over profit.

No comment from an OpenAI spokesperson was obtained by CNBC at the time.

Why leadership requires 'often painful' criticism

Altman has written about the significance of embracing feedback. In a 2019 blog post, he stated, "I used to detest any form of criticism and steered clear of it. Now, I make an effort to listen to it with the assumption that it's accurate and then decide whether to act on it or not."

The most successful individuals I know have a high level of self-belief, almost to the point of delusion, and being open to criticism, even if it's difficult and painful, can help prevent harmful overconfidence.

According to Don Moore, a leadership and communication professor at the University of California-Berkeley's Haas School of Business, accepting critiques is easier said than done, even if you're genuinely listening and swallowing your pride to act on other people's advice is a real challenge.

Moore stated that leaders who possess courage should actively seek criticism, reflect on their mistakes, anticipate potential errors, and pay close attention to constructive feedback.

The Aspen Ideas Festival is a media partner with NBCUniversal News Group, which includes CNBC.

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