I've always been curious about the Silicon Valley prophet factory. On the surface, it warns humanity of its end, while simultaneously the very people pushing that end forward are actively promoting it.

Sam Altman is, in my view, the latest and most sophisticated model of this system. He embodies the pinnacle of business achievement. No one can depict the fear of the existential risks AI poses more effectively than he does. Testimonies before Congress, joint statements with scientists, media appearances—all serve as free advertising.

What’s fascinating is that, despite being officially labeled "dishonest" by the board in November 2023, he returned as if nothing had happened just five days later, like a king. Over 700 employees threatened to leave unless they supported him. This was less a business conflict and more a national referendum on faith. He is not an ordinary CEO but a charismatic leader. His followers do not doubt his motives. Because in the face of a mission that concerns the survival of humanity, such doubts would make them appear as obstacles in history.

His "divine mission" is cleverly designed. It not only generates fear but also controls the rhythm of that fear completely. Who to scare, when to show hope—everything is calculated. Worldcoin is part of that salvation narrative. A silver sphere the size of a basketball scans irises and claims to distribute funds in the AI era. The story is compelling, but multiple governments have halted it citing data privacy concerns. Yet, that probably doesn’t matter much to him. What’s important is shaping himself as "the only person offering a solution."

His relationship with regulation is also intriguing. In May 2023, he publicly asked Congress, "Please regulate us." At that time, OpenAI was technically far ahead, and strict regulation would effectively eliminate all potential competitors. But as time passed and rivals began catching up, his stance subtly shifted. Now he argues that overly strict regulation would stifle innovation. It’s a business model that advocates regulation when they’re ahead and freedom when they’re losing their lead.

Even more astonishing is the contradiction about his personal wealth. He repeatedly claimed not to hold direct shares in OpenAI, yet Bloomberg’s 2024 estimates put his net worth at around $2 billion. Early investments in Stripe, Reddit, and Helion have yielded enormous returns. Especially with Helion—while he makes large investments in nuclear fusion, shortly afterward, OpenAI begins negotiating large-scale power procurement contracts with Helion. The chain of profits is obvious.

Other Silicon Valley giants like Musk, Zuckerberg, and Thiel follow the same pattern. Musk warns that "AI is summoning the devil" while launching xAI, which surpassed a valuation of $20 billion in a year. Zuckerberg, after his $90 billion Metaverse investment failed, quickly pivoted to a new grand vision called "Superintelligence Lab." Each of them plays a dual role: warning of the end times while actively promoting the end.

What truly needs understanding is why this system continues to function so effectively. First, they don’t just generate fear—they monopolize its interpretation. For most people, AI remains a complete black box, and instinctively, they defer the explanation to "the person who understands it best." External doubts are automatically dismissed as "not understanding enough." As a result, only they have the qualification to evaluate themselves.

Second, they have replaced "profit" with "meaning." Followers voluntarily relinquish their critical capacity because questioning the motives of leaders in the face of a story that claims to determine humanity’s fate makes them seem insignificant.

In February 2026, Altman, immediately after saying "We will not use AI for war," signed a contract with the Pentagon. This is not hypocrisy but an inherent requirement of his business model. The roles of compassionate savior and ruthless end-times prophet must be played simultaneously; otherwise, his story cannot continue, and his "divine mission" remains unclear.

Ultimately, the survival kit he prepared in 2016—guns, gold, antibiotics, land for escape by plane—is real. His passion for the end is genuine. But at the same time, he is also someone actively promoting that end. The contradiction is resolved in his logic: there’s no need to stop the end, just position oneself ahead of it. Whether it’s a material evacuation bag or a financial empire centered on OpenAI, the core is the same—securing the most certain position as the ultimate winner amid an uncertain future he himself accelerates.

Silicon Valley is no longer a place that creates technology; it has become a factory that produces modern myths. And this factory’s system understands human cognition perfectly. First, it generates an unavoidable fear; then it monopolizes its interpretation; finally, it transforms the faithful into messengers using "meaning." The real danger isn’t AI itself but the people who believe they have the right to define humanity’s destiny.