'Silly baby stuff we didn't need—except this': New father Sam Altman's shoutout to smart crib designed in Bengaluru

When OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently weighed in on the chaos of new parenthood, his tweet struck a chord with tech-savvy moms and dads everywhere: “We bought a lot of silly baby things that we haven't needed—but definitely I recommend a Cradlewise crib and a lot more burp rags than you think you could possibly need.”

The understated plug for Cradlewise—an AI-powered smart crib that soothes babies back to sleep—was more than just a new-dad musing. For the startup, it was a breakthrough moment of validation from one of the most influential names in tech.

Cradlewise, founded in 2016 by Indian entrepreneurs Radhika and Bharath Patil, uses machine learning to detect early signs of wakefulness and gently bounce the baby back to sleep using motion and sound. Priced at $1,999 in the US and around ₹1.5 lakh in India, the crib is positioned as a premium, hands-off sleep solution for modern parents.

The Patils, inspired by their own parenting experience with daughter Anushka, relocated to the US during the pandemic to bring their smart crib to a global market. With Altman now among its users—and fans—the product is finding its way into nurseries where convenience and sleep matter just as much as tech.

Radhika Patil, who holds a Master's degree in Electronic Design from the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru and a Bachelor's degree from Stanford University, responded warmly to Altman’s praise. “Thanks for loving us, Sam Altman,” she wrote on X. “The AI god’s trust in the smarts of Cradlewise means a lot to us.”

The moment captures more than just a shoutout—it highlights how baby tech is entering a new era, where smart parenting is as much about data as it is about diapers. The crib's ability to autonomously respond to an infant's needs with minimal parental intervention has resonated with modern parents seeking convenience and improved sleep quality for their children.