How do AI companies use access to influence journalists, according to Karen Hao and Steven Bartlett?

Karen Hao says access is the biggest reward tech companies can offer journalists and that they withdraw it quickly if a reporter speaks to people they dislike. Steven Bartlett says the team of one AI figure has dangled an interview on The Diary Of A CEO for about 18 months, which he reads as a way to keep hosts uncritical and stop them platforming critics.

• Bartlett says he has heard Sam Altman does not want to appear on his show.
• Hao says losing access early in her career forced her to report without it, and she still completed more than 300 interviews.

▸In their words

“companies know that a really big carrot that they can give to technology journalists is access” Karen Hao · at 21:32 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett (2026-10-23). Read the whole episode summary →

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