sam altman writes in lowercase

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Executive communications are changing radically. If you want to see the future, follow Sam Altman.

Altman is the CEO of OpenAI who was recently fired and then rehired after he leveraged his social media following to outmaneuver the company’s board.

The online exchange was so unusual that Neeha Curtis used it as the basis for a communications class she teaches at Syracuse University

Neeha, who is also chief communications officer of Jugo, focused on Altman’s style quirk of tweeting in lowercase.

She notes that she tends to use lowercase when she’s communicating to close colleagues via Slack or texting to family. Uppercase is for more formal business work.

When Altman used lowercase to announce his ouster was signaling the same kind of intimacy, albeit to a following of 2.2 million.

Here are the points she made to her class as she posted them online:

• lowercase equals approachability. it breaks the formal barrier, making sam seem more like a conversation partner than a distant leader.

• it feels off the cuff, appears like a message from a friend.

• stays aligned with a tech-savvy audience, proving he’s “with it”.

• innovation often begins by defying the status quo. sam’s style reflects a willingness to challenge traditional communication norms.

• a unique style can set you apart. in the digital noise, being recognizable is key, and altman’s tweets do just that –it’s his signature.

• lowercase typing is quick and efficient, mirroring a leadership style that values straightforward, clear communication.

• choosing informality shows a touch of humility. it’s a subtle nod to being part of the team, not just leading it.

 biggest takeaway, his communication doesn’t feel like ChatGPT wrote it– ironic isn’t it?

Neeha’s last point is the most important. However you write, make it authentic.

Everyone asks me if Altman’s product, ChatGPT, which instantly produces long, perfectly grammatical prose, is a threat to people who write for a living.

I explain that the problem with ChatGPT is its too perfect.

The future of communications, especially for executives is to write online in a relatable style.

I don’t recommend writing lowercase per se. That is what Altman does.

Everyone should find their own voice.

I have my own signature tics. One you may have noticed in this post is that I refer to people by first names if I know them and last names if I don’t i.e. Neeha versus Altman.

Altman himself recently tweeted an observation about his penchant for lowercase:

“mildly interesting observation:
i always use capital letters when writing by hand, but usually only type them when doing something that somehow reminds me of being in school.”

Some people called him out for it, arguing that spell check automatically corrects capitalization.

Dillon (@BluSuitDillon) tweeted:
“Dude. Every capital letter you see in this sentence was automatically done. You’re basically telling people you take the extra time to write in lower caps.
This doesn’t make sense.”

Dillon has a valid point. Of course, Dillon added his own signature style by using “Dude.”

Communication styles evolve like language and social mores. Business culture takes communication cues from prominent executives that are often only apparent in hindsight.

In the 1990s, Steve Jobs gave us the product demo that raised the bar for executives to speak in public.

In the early 2000s, Mark Zuckerberg wore us T-shirts and hoodies that helped spread business casual and a distrust of suits.

Today, Sam Altman is ushering in the era of writing directly stakeholders on social media in an authentic voice.

BRIEF OBSERVATIONS

HOW MANY PEOPLE FINISH BOOKS?: I was unaware of the Hawking Index - a measure of how much of a book do people read - but I love it! Another example of cool metrics you can see with technology.

READING IS FUNDAMENTAL: The late great Charlie Munger used to attribute his success to reading books.

SAME AS IT EVER WAS: Reasons cited on a 3,200-year-old tablet for missing work: Drinking with Khonsu, Libating to father, Brewing beer; Building his house; Suffering with his eye; Embalming his brother; Bit by a scorpion; Offering to the god; Daughter was bleeding; Fetching stone for the scribe; Making remedies with Khons; Embalming Hormose and Strengthening the door,

THERE IS ALWAYS MORE: People always have more going on that expected.

MEMES: Trung Phan makes my day, again. Follow him!