Reputational, for one. For years he has lauded Altman as one of the best and brightest minds out there, playing a major role in Sam's meteoric growth.
On the other hand, in my imagination PG is someone who would stand corrected if there was a good reason.
Has that actually happened before? I've yet to see it, but I'd like to be corrected If I'm wrong here.
My line of thinking is as follows. He is a smart person, not just a successful entrepreneur but a techie. He is also a LISP nerd, that means he is not afraid of unpopular choices. I would like believe these traits go together with a few others that create the kind of personality that can swallow admitting a mistake.
My general perception of "thought leadership" is that it's not particularly amenable to changes or self-corrections (lest you start losing your adherents). In that regard, my imagination paints a different picture.
funnily enough, he wrote this here out today: "We should get over the taboo against saying that the CIA killed Kennedy. It's the most plausible explanation by far."
Not sure I have time to go down that rabbit hole and what to gain from it, though.