Greg Brockman Says AGI Has Arrived

Ben Horowitz and Erik Torenberg sit down with OpenAI co-founder and President Greg Brockman to discuss why he believes AI has entered a new phase, what OpenAI’s latest models reveal about the path to AGI, and the safety and security challenges that come with increasingly capable systems. Greg explains why computer use represents such an important step for agents, including models that can work coherently for 24 hours and interact with software through the same interfaces humans use. He also shares how OpenAI deployed 10,000 agents to tackle the Navier-Stokes problem, and why advances in mathematical reasoning could translate into new approaches to science, software, and cybersecurity. Ben, Erik, and Greg also dig into the “defender’s window” for cybersecurity, how AI could reshape work and entrepreneurship, and what the AI assistant of the future might actually look like: persistent, proactive, personalized, and capable of doing work on your behalf rather than waiting for another prompt. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:51 - Could You Have Predicted Today's AI 10 Years Ago? 04:14 - Cyber Hacking, Reward Hacking & Building Safety Into Architecture 08:42 - The Hugging Face Incident & Why the Defender's Window Is Open 18:28 - Astra & Why Greg Says We're Now in the AGI Era 24:25 - The Future of Employment as AI Progresses 29:39 - Why AI Sentiment Is Higher in Asia Than the West 38:14 - What's Still Jagged: What Astra Needs to Approximate AGI 43:25 - How Greg Prioritizes His Time 47:32 - What's Next: The AGI Era & Deep Co-Design Resources: Follow Greg Brockman on X: https://x.com/gdb Follow Ben Horowitz on X: https://x.com/bhorowitz Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.

Greg BrockmanguestBen HorowitzhostErik Torenberghost

Sep 14, 202649mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: September 14, 2026
Duration: 49m
Channel: a16z
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Ben Horowitz and Erik Torenberg sit down with OpenAI co-founder and President Greg Brockman to discuss why he believes AI has entered a new phase, what OpenAI’s latest models reveal about the path to AGI, and the safety and security challenges that come with increasingly capable systems. Greg explains why computer use represents such an important step for agents, including models that can work coherently for 24 hours and interact with software through the same interfaces humans use. He also shares how OpenAI deployed 10,000 agents to tackle the Navier-Stokes problem, and why advances in mathematical reasoning could translate into new approaches to science, software, and cybersecurity. Ben, Erik, and Greg also dig into the “defender’s window” for cybersecurity, how AI could reshape work and entrepreneurship, and what the AI assistant of the future might actually look like: persistent, proactive, personalized, and capable of doing work on your behalf rather than waiting for another prompt. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:51 - Could You Have Predicted Today's AI 10 Years Ago? 04:14 - Cyber Hacking, Reward Hacking & Building Safety Into Architecture 08:42 - The Hugging Face Incident & Why the Defender's Window Is Open 18:28 - Astra & Why Greg Says We're Now in the AGI Era 24:25 - The Future of Employment as AI Progresses 29:39 - Why AI Sentiment Is Higher in Asia Than the West 38:14 - What's Still Jagged: What Astra Needs to Approximate AGI 43:25 - How Greg Prioritizes His Time 47:32 - What's Next: The AGI Era & Deep Co-Design Resources: Follow Greg Brockman on X: https://x.com/gdb Follow Ben Horowitz on X: https://x.com/bhorowitz Stay Updated: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and share with your friends! Find a16z on X: https://twitter.com/a16z Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5bC65RDvs3oxnLyqqvkUYX Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a16z-podcast/id842818711 Follow our host: https://x.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see http://a16z.com/disclosures.

SPEAKERS

Greg Brockman
guest
Co-founder and president of OpenAI, focused on scaling frontier AI systems and safety/security.
Ben Horowitz
host
Co-founder and general partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z).
Erik Torenberg
host
Host at a16z (Andreessen Horowitz), known for interviewing tech founders and operators.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of a16z, featuring Greg Brockman and Ben Horowitz, Greg Brockman Says AGI Has Arrived explores brockman: Astra’s computer-using agents signal the start of the AGI era Greg Brockman argues Astra marks a discontinuous jump in capability—especially “computer use” and long-horizon autonomy—enough to justify calling the current period the beginning of an “AGI era.”

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