OpenAI Executive Urges European Founders to Be More Vocal with Feedback

U.S. founders are 'shameless' with feedback and Europe's should do the same: OpenAI's startup boss

OpenAI's EMEA startups head Laura Modiano spoke at the Sifted Summit on Wednesday, 8 October. In the latest comparison between American and European founders, OpenAI's startup boss admitted that the Americans are "almost shameless" when it comes to making demands and giving feedback to the AI giant. Laura Modiano, who heads up OpenAI's startups division in EMEA, drew a comparison between American and European founders based on her extensive work with founders across both regions and rolling out AI features. "So feedback is extremely important. We're moving at lightning speed. It has to represent your voice and I see American founders being extremely good, almost shameless, and coming in and saying: 'We need this. You need to get better at that. You need to improve that. You need this new feature,'" Modiano said during a fireside chat at the Sifted Summit on Wednesday. "If founders don't tell us, we don't always know." She called on European founders to be much more vocal -- or risk missing out on big opportunities. "Please, please, please, if you're using OpenAI ... you should always tell us what you think about it, what is working, what isn't and how we can do better." She cited Lovable, valued at $1.8 billion, as an example of a European company good at giving feedback. The Swedish vibe coding startup has a GPT-5-based assistant called Lovable Assistant 5. "When GPT-5 was launched, they [Lovable] were one of the companies that launched with us, and they were in the alpha, so early access to GPT-5, and they gave us a lot of feedback. Like, I was in their office for a week, and literally every hour, we were having reviews," she said. "'How is something working? What do we need?' So GPT-5 launching actually had the taste of European developers included in the model that all of you are using today. So unless you're vocal about it, you're missing out on a great opportunity." Swedish AI-learning platform Sana was another startup praised by Modiano. "I was in their office a few months ago and they said: 'We really need this capability on voice, the tone of voice, the speed, this is what we need.' I got that feedback then we see who else has had similar feedback, and then we prioritize that feature on the roadmap to make sure that we're servicing what the customer is asking for," she said. "I give this advice often. I say every startup, especially every AI startup, should have a chief feedback officer, because we can only ship and include things in our roadmap, different features, different improvements, if we know what customers want," she added.

OpenAI Executive Urges European AI Founders To Share Feedback: 'We Don't Always Know'

Enter your email to get Benzinga's ultimate morning update: The PreMarket Activity Newsletter Laura Modiano, who leads OpenAI's startups division in EMEA, said American founders are "almost shameless" in how boldly they make demands and share feedback with the ChatGPT maker, urging European founders to do the same. OpenAI Exec Calls For More Founder Feedback Modiano, also an angel investor, said, "American founders being extremely good, almost shameless, and coming in and saying: 'We need this. You need to get better at that.' If founders don't tell us, we don't always know," according to CNBC. She urged European founders to speak up more or risk missing out on valuable opportunities. "Please, please, please, if you're using OpenAI ... you should always tell us what you think about it," Modiano said. Modiano cited Lovable, a European company valued at $1.8 billion, as a strong example of effective feedback. The Swedish vibe coding startup's GPT-5-powered Lovable Assistant 5 was granted early alpha access. See Also: We Share A 'Collective Delusion' That Overworking And Being Successful Are Positively Correlated. Says Arianna Huffington. It's Time To Slow Down. "I was in their office for a week, and literally every hour, we were having reviews," she said. "GPT-5 launching actually had the taste of European developers included in the model." AI Startups Should Have A Feedback Chief The OpenAI executive said that every AI startup should have a "chief feedback officer," emphasizing the importance of understanding user needs. "We can only ship and include things in our roadmap, whether it's new features or improvements, if we know what customers want," she said. These comments contribute to the ongoing discussion about European startup culture. Earlier this year, some venture capitalists argued that European founders need to work seven days a week to compete on a global scale, though some tech leaders have pushed back against excessive work culture. More recently, U.K. Business Secretary Peter Kyle criticized British university students for not showing the same entrepreneurial drive as their American peers. Harry Stebbings, founder of 20VC, also noted Europeans are not as good at marketing themselves when pitching to venture capitalists. Read Next: Entrepreneur Reveals An Easy And Effective Way To Validate Your Business Idea: 'Could I Get Strangers To Care About My Ideas In Less Than A Weekend?' Photo: Shutterstock Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs