In 30 seconds
In this January 2026 short, Matthew Berman argues that AI assistants changed developers’ use of Stack Overflow and suggests the site helped create a competitor. His claim that the company went to zero is an opinion, not an established valuation or closure: the site remains active. Prosus acquired Stack Overflow in 2021, and Stack Overflow and OpenAI announced an API partnership in 2024.
- 1A change in developer habitsBerman says he previously kept Stack Overflow open while working and changed his habits after ChatGPT launched.
- 2AI and community knowledgeBerman argues that AI systems drew on Stack Overflow content. The companies announced an API partnership in 2024, but the short does not document the original model’s training corpus.
- 3Acquisition and subsequent declineProsus acquired Stack Overflow for approximately $1.8 billion in 2021. Berman’s claim that it later went to zero should not be taken as an established valuation or a site closure.
Takeaways
- Berman says he shifted from frequently consulting Stack Overflow to using ChatGPT after its launch.
- OpenAI and Stack Overflow announced an API partnership in 2024, but that announcement does not establish the complete training data for the original ChatGPT.
- Prosus acquired Stack Overflow for approximately $1.8 billion in 2021, more than a year before ChatGPT launched.
- The site remains active; the video does not establish that its value or use fell to zero.
Read the edited text by chapter
From Stack Overflow to ChatGPT
Berman describes his change in research habits after ChatGPT appeared. He links the change to AI systems using community knowledge.
As a developer, I used to keep a Stack Overflow tab open whenever I worked. I say that changed after ChatGPT launched: I increasingly turned to an AI assistant for answers. That is my personal experience and a view of a broader shift, not a measurement of every developer’s behavior.
I argue that ChatGPT benefited from Stack Overflow’s accumulated developer knowledge, creating a tension for a community whose material can help build an alternative to visiting it. OpenAI and Stack Overflow announced an API partnership in May 2024, but that agreement alone does not establish exactly which data trained the original ChatGPT model.
The acquisition and its aftermath
He mentions the sale of Stack Overflow and argues its position deteriorated afterward. The site continues to operate, and the short does not establish its current value.
I note that Stack Overflow was sold before ChatGPT launched. Prosus acquired the company for approximately $1.8 billion in 2021, over a year before ChatGPT’s November 2022 launch. My claim that Stack Overflow subsequently went to zero should be read as an assessment of its changing position, not a verified company valuation or closure: the site remains active.
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