Back in October 2024, Jordi Hays texted John Coogan with an idea for a new podcast. He suggested naming it Technology Brothers. About two weeks later, they recorded the first episode. There wasn't much production behind it. It was just two former startup founders talking about what was happening in tech.

At that time, both Coogan and Hays had built and sold companies. Instead of staying in San Francisco, where starting another startup might have been easier, they moved to Los Angeles to be closer to their families.

The Daily Show Pivot

A few months later, in March, they rebranded the show as TBPN, which stands for The Technology Business Programming Network. The format changed too. Instead of recording occasional episodes, they began broadcasting live every weekday from 11 AM to 2 PM Pacific.

During those three hours, they covered the biggest stories in tech, featured guests, and reacted in real-time. They often described the show as SportsCenter for Silicon Valley, and that idea gained popularity. Even The New York Times called it a new obsession in Silicon Valley.

Building the Ultradome

The podcast quickly became more than just two people talking into microphones. The team built a dedicated studio inside a Quonset hut in Los Angeles and named it the Ultradome. It was designed to feel like a real TV studio rather than a typical podcast setup.

They also started some traditions. Whenever there was major news, like a big funding round or an IPO, they struck a giant gong. Over time, they began collecting smaller signed gongs from tech CEOs. Their goal is to get one from each executive leading a Magnificent Seven company. So far, they have received signed gongs from Sam Altman and Satya Nadella.

Growth Through Consistency

The show's growth didn't happen overnight. Coogan and Hays often say it resulted from showing up every day, improving little by little, and letting those small gains add up over time.

John Coogan

John Coogan has spent years building businesses before becoming a full-time media creator. He co-founded Soylent and served as its CTO from 2013 to 2017. During that time, the company grew to about 50 employees and reached nine figures in revenue.

After leaving Soylent, he partnered with Renteln to launch Lucy, a nicotine pouch company. He also spent a year as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Founders Fund. Before TBPN, many people knew him from his YouTube channel, where he explained business models and shared stories from Silicon Valley history.

Jordi Hays

Jordi Hays started building companies at a young age. When he was 12, he launched a skateboard brand called J Man with just $650.

While studying at UC Santa Barbara, he founded Branded Native, an ad tech company that paid creators tens of millions of dollars while remaining profitable for over 20 straight quarters. Later, he and his wife, Sarah Chase, started Party Round, a fintech company. They raised about $10 million from investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, before selling the company to Rho Technologies in 2023.

Hays has also known Sam Altman for more than a decade and invested in one of Altman's early companies.

The Business

TBPN has also become a serious business. The company generated about $5 million in advertising revenue during 2025 and expects to exceed $30 million this year.

Unlike many startups, they never took outside funding. From the start, they treated advertising revenue as real operating income rather than relying on venture capital. They never raised a seed round.

Their sponsors have included Ramp, Figma, Vanta, Linear, Eight Sleep, Polymarket, and Gemini.

Even now, the show still revolves around a simple idea. It mainly consists of two people sharing their opinions, supported by a small production team. Their audience may not be as large as some other podcasts, but it includes the founders, investors, and operators who influence a lot of the tech industry.

OpenAI Acquires TBPN

In 2026, OpenAI acquired TBPN. The deal kept the show independent, with the same hosts and the same editorial freedom. The network became part of OpenAI's Strategy organization.

The timing matched growing speculation about a possible OpenAI IPO in late 2026 or early 2027, with reports suggesting the company could be valued at close to $1 trillion. Owning TBPN gives OpenAI a direct way to connect with founders, investors, and others who shape industry views on major events, without relying entirely on traditional media.

Hays described the move as a shift from commenting on the industry from the outside to having a chance to shape it from within. He also mentioned the respect he built for Sam Altman and the OpenAI team, even though TBPN had previously criticized parts of the AI industry.

The announcement matched the show's style. They revealed the news live on air. Hays joked that it was only 364 days until April Fools' Day. Then John Coogan read OpenAI's official blog post to confirm that the announcement was real. They even removed the sponsor graphic from the screen during that part of the broadcast.