Posted on Nov 24, 2023
How OpenAI's origins explain the Sam Altman drama
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https://www.npr.org/2023/11/24/ [login to see] /chatgpt-openai-sam-altman-fired-explained
OpenAI's board of directors' abruptly firing CEO Sam Altman then bringing him back days later did not come out of nowhere.
In fact, the boardroom drama represented the boiling over of tensions that have long simmered under the surface of the company.
Following days of upheaval, Altman is again leading the company and a newly-formed board of directors is charting the path ahead, but the chaos at OpenAI can be traced back to the unusual way the company was structured.
OpenAI was founded in 2015 by Altman, Elon Musk and others as a non-profit research lab. It was almost like an anti-Big Tech company; it would prioritize principles over profit. It wanted to, as OpenAI put it back then, develop AI tools that would "benefit humanity as a whole, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return."
OpenAI's board of directors' abruptly firing CEO Sam Altman then bringing him back days later did not come out of nowhere.
In fact, the boardroom drama represented the boiling over of tensions that have long simmered under the surface of the company.
Following days of upheaval, Altman is again leading the company and a newly-formed board of directors is charting the path ahead, but the chaos at OpenAI can be traced back to the unusual way the company was structured.
OpenAI was founded in 2015 by Altman, Elon Musk and others as a non-profit research lab. It was almost like an anti-Big Tech company; it would prioritize principles over profit. It wanted to, as OpenAI put it back then, develop AI tools that would "benefit humanity as a whole, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return."
How OpenAI's origins explain the Sam Altman drama
Posted from npr.org
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Research
Technology
Posted 6 mo ago
Responses: 2
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel ultimately the $$$ rules...
..."As it stands, OpenAI's charter says it is committed to the development of artificial general intelligence, also known as AGI, or a type of AI superintelligence that can outperform humans, that will not "harm humanity or unduly concentrate power."
But success in Silicon Valley almost always requires massive scale and the concentration of power — something that allowed OpenAI's biggest funder, Microsoft, to become one of the most valuable companies in the world. It is hard to imagine Microsoft would invest $13 billion into a company believing it would not one day have an unmovable foothold in the sector.
Under the board's current mission, developing AI systems should be undertaken with the main goal of benefiting all of humanity, with no regard to ever turning a profit for outside investors.
Yet the for-profit entity of OpenAI will continue to recruit moneyed enthusiasts who want in on the AI goldrush. The two sides are at cross purposes, with no clear way to co-exist.
The new board is expected to grow and include a representative from Microsoft. Among the board's tasks: taking a hard look at OpenAI's structure. Does the hybrid model create too much friction? Or is there a way to forge ahead with a middle-of-the-road approach?"
..."As it stands, OpenAI's charter says it is committed to the development of artificial general intelligence, also known as AGI, or a type of AI superintelligence that can outperform humans, that will not "harm humanity or unduly concentrate power."
But success in Silicon Valley almost always requires massive scale and the concentration of power — something that allowed OpenAI's biggest funder, Microsoft, to become one of the most valuable companies in the world. It is hard to imagine Microsoft would invest $13 billion into a company believing it would not one day have an unmovable foothold in the sector.
Under the board's current mission, developing AI systems should be undertaken with the main goal of benefiting all of humanity, with no regard to ever turning a profit for outside investors.
Yet the for-profit entity of OpenAI will continue to recruit moneyed enthusiasts who want in on the AI goldrush. The two sides are at cross purposes, with no clear way to co-exist.
The new board is expected to grow and include a representative from Microsoft. Among the board's tasks: taking a hard look at OpenAI's structure. Does the hybrid model create too much friction? Or is there a way to forge ahead with a middle-of-the-road approach?"
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel good day Brother William, always informational and of the most interesting. Thanks for sharing, have a blessed day!
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