4 ms·

OpenAI turning out to be a total bait and switch. Especially true when your co-founder is actively calling you out on it[1] Remember kids: if it's not a non-pr

OpenAI turning out to be a total bait and switch. Especially true when your co-founder is actively calling you out on it[1] Remember kids: if it's not a non-profit organization it is a _for_ profit one! It was silly to expect anything else: > In 2019, OpenAI transitioned from non-profit to for-profit. The company distributed equity to its employees and partnered with Microsoft Corporation, who announced an investment package of US$1 billion into the company. OpenAI then announced its intention to commercially license its technologies, with Microsoft as its preferred partner [2] 1 - https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/27/tech/elon-musk-tesla-bill-gates-microsoft-open-ai/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/27/tech/elon-musk-tesla-bill... 2 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenAI https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenAI

person_of_color 6y ago
So OpenAI employees get Microsoft RSUs?
- unixhero 6y ago
  What is an RSU?
  - ourcat 6y ago
    Restricted Stock Units
  - agravier 6y ago
    It means restricted stock unit, and it's a kind of company stock unit that may be distributed to some "valued" employees. There is usually a vesting schedule, and you can't do whatever you want with it.
- garmaine 6y ago
  Why would they? It's a separate company.
dvfjsdhgfv 6y ago
It will be interesting to see the attitude of Microsoft towards this project in the light of their "Microsoft loves open source" propaganda.
- Closi 6y ago
  I don't know where people got this idea that Microsoft can't participate positively in Open Source, and do that sincerely, without open sourcing absolutely everything. Of course they can - just because you contribute to open source, and do that because you also benefit from open source projects, doesn't mean you have to do absolutely everything under open source. Especially considering OpenAI isn't even Microsoft's IP or codebase.
  - Daho0n 6y ago
    I don't think this should be seen in the light of "open source everything" but more that many see Microsoft doing open source not as part of "being good" but part of their age old "embrace extend extinguish" policy.
  - pessimizer 6y ago
    I don't know where people got the idea that companies can be "sincere." Sincerity is faithfully communicating your mental state to others. A company's mental state can change on a dime based on the decisionmaking of people who rely on the company for the degree of profit it generates. Any analog to sincerity that you think you see can probably be eliminated by firing one person after an exceptionally bad quarter (or an exceptionally good one.)
    - Closi 6y ago
      Sincere to me just means that you are being truthful, or not trying to be deceptive. And I think companies can be sincere - because companies are really just groups of people and assets when you get down to the nuts and bolts of it.
      - 6y ago

person_of_color 6y ago

So OpenAI employees get Microsoft RSUs?

unixhero 6y ago
What is an RSU?
- ourcat 6y ago
  Restricted Stock Units
- agravier 6y ago
  It means restricted stock unit, and it's a kind of company stock unit that may be distributed to some "valued" employees. There is usually a vesting schedule, and you can't do whatever you want with it.
garmaine 6y ago
Why would they? It's a separate company.

dvfjsdhgfv 6y ago

It will be interesting to see the attitude of Microsoft towards this project in the light of their "Microsoft loves open source" propaganda.

Closi 6y ago
I don't know where people got this idea that Microsoft can't participate positively in Open Source, and do that sincerely, without open sourcing absolutely everything. Of course they can - just because you contribute to open source, and do that because you also benefit from open source projects, doesn't mean you have to do absolutely everything under open source. Especially considering OpenAI isn't even Microsoft's IP or codebase.
- Daho0n 6y ago
  I don't think this should be seen in the light of "open source everything" but more that many see Microsoft doing open source not as part of "being good" but part of their age old "embrace extend extinguish" policy.
- pessimizer 6y ago
  I don't know where people got the idea that companies can be "sincere." Sincerity is faithfully communicating your mental state to others. A company's mental state can change on a dime based on the decisionmaking of people who rely on the company for the degree of profit it generates. Any analog to sincerity that you think you see can probably be eliminated by firing one person after an exceptionally bad quarter (or an exceptionally good one.)
  - Closi 6y ago
    Sincere to me just means that you are being truthful, or not trying to be deceptive. And I think companies can be sincere - because companies are really just groups of people and assets when you get down to the nuts and bolts of it.
    - 6y ago