2 ms·

> Sam Altman is merely another "Tech Executive" out for himself But it couldn't have started that way surely? - why put in place a corporate structure, board,

> Sam Altman is merely another "Tech Executive" out for himself But it couldn't have started that way surely? - why put in place a corporate structure, board, and profit cap that would limit that. I'm sure OpenAI could have got funding as a for profit concern that wouldn't have resulted in the current mess. I wonder if the board - which presumably are still working under that "AI for humanity" principles could just stick to their guns, let the 550 unhappy employees go to Microsoft and continue researching/developing, perhaps at a slower rate.

jacquesm 3y ago
> why put in place a corporate structure, board, and profit cap that would limit that. I'm going to take a stab at that: it's a pre-emptive move to ensure that regulators won't step in to limit what the company can do and to do an end-run around anybody that might claim they're just in it for the money. That way they get to eat their cake and have it too: pursue all of the commercial potential while having a fig leaf to hide behind in case a regulator thinks the company is becoming too powerful. And by stuffing the board with nobodies they may have thought that they could effectively control the board. And that opened the door to the present day shitshow, which is a mixture of good intentions but a lack of experience and classic powerplay by someone who does know what the rulebook says, but who misjudged the situation and the aftermath to a degree that is comical. It also explains why there isn't a peep from the board (they've said less than their prospective new CEO who is the third such person in as many days).
brigadier132 3y ago
> let the 550 unhappy employees Maybe you didn't get the memo, it's 715 / 770 unhappy employees.
- sarchertech 3y ago
  There’s a tipping point, where not signing is dangerous. I suspect that the number of employees who would actually follow through is a good bit lower than 700.
  - ojosilva 3y ago
    I agree. The core OpenAI crew is different from Elon's or Jobs people, it's made up of scientists who tend to be more sensitive/sensible to the impact of their work. So I'm appalled OpenAI employees would follow Sam Altman into none other than... Microsoft! My bet is that's not going to happen, at least not significantly. So far only the trust circle of Altman and Brockman actually quit. I don't see Sam Altman as a MSFT employee for long anyway, it's mostly negotiation leverage. This is obviously controversial, but time may even be on OpenAI's board's favor: by just not doing much the company will keep commercially thriving even if the new management "slows down" AI development, and at least as long as MSFT honors its compute compromises which it said it would and the whole coup fire wanes.
  - brigadier132 3y ago
    A good deal lower? Because if I work at a startup and I've developed a strong sense of camaraderie with my coworkers and 400 of them leave, I'm definitely going to go along with them. From everything I read, the internal culture at OpenAI is amazing and I'd want to stick with it.
    - sarchertech 3y ago
      There’s no guarantee the internal culture stays the same after such a drastic move and there’s definitely going to be people who consider that in their reasoning. Then there’s a sizable fraction of people in tech who outright hate Microsoft. Some number of people who MS probably doesn’t want. Some number who were actually attracted to the idea of working at a non-profit etc…
SiempreViernes 3y ago
Maybe not consciously, but if the board is supposed to provide oversight it does not make any sense to put yourself and you friend as the chair of that oversight board. Perhaps in the "Tech Executive" mind having other people on the board does mean that putting yourself as the chair overseeing yourself is not the most blatant conflict of interest one can imagine. But undoubtedly this was constructed as a case of Obama giving a medal to himself from the start.
rramadass 3y ago
> But it couldn't have started that way surely? - why put in place a corporate structure, board, and profit cap that would limit that. The "Tech Executives" in the Industry have a poor opinion of Researchers/Engineers/Knowledge Workers and think that they are all naive and can be managed (i.e shafted) when it comes to business/money dealings. Any noob could see the potential in the researchers and technology and so Sam thought he could get in and then change/manipulate things to his (and his backers) advantage when the time came.

jacquesm 3y ago

> why put in place a corporate structure, board, and profit cap that would limit that. I'm going to take a stab at that: it's a pre-emptive move to ensure that regulators won't step in to limit what the company can do and to do an end-run around anybody that might claim they're just in it for the money. That way they get to eat their cake and have it too: pursue all of the commercial potential while having a fig leaf to hide behind in case a regulator thinks the company is becoming too powerful. And by stuffing the board with nobodies they may have thought that they could effectively control the board. And that opened the door to the present day shitshow, which is a mixture of good intentions but a lack of experience and classic powerplay by someone who does know what the rulebook says, but who misjudged the situation and the aftermath to a degree that is comical. It also explains why there isn't a peep from the board (they've said less than their prospective new CEO who is the third such person in as many days).

brigadier132 3y ago

> let the 550 unhappy employees Maybe you didn't get the memo, it's 715 / 770 unhappy employees.

sarchertech 3y ago
There’s a tipping point, where not signing is dangerous. I suspect that the number of employees who would actually follow through is a good bit lower than 700.
- ojosilva 3y ago
  I agree. The core OpenAI crew is different from Elon's or Jobs people, it's made up of scientists who tend to be more sensitive/sensible to the impact of their work. So I'm appalled OpenAI employees would follow Sam Altman into none other than... Microsoft! My bet is that's not going to happen, at least not significantly. So far only the trust circle of Altman and Brockman actually quit. I don't see Sam Altman as a MSFT employee for long anyway, it's mostly negotiation leverage. This is obviously controversial, but time may even be on OpenAI's board's favor: by just not doing much the company will keep commercially thriving even if the new management "slows down" AI development, and at least as long as MSFT honors its compute compromises which it said it would and the whole coup fire wanes.
- brigadier132 3y ago
  A good deal lower? Because if I work at a startup and I've developed a strong sense of camaraderie with my coworkers and 400 of them leave, I'm definitely going to go along with them. From everything I read, the internal culture at OpenAI is amazing and I'd want to stick with it.
  - sarchertech 3y ago
    There’s no guarantee the internal culture stays the same after such a drastic move and there’s definitely going to be people who consider that in their reasoning. Then there’s a sizable fraction of people in tech who outright hate Microsoft. Some number of people who MS probably doesn’t want. Some number who were actually attracted to the idea of working at a non-profit etc…

SiempreViernes 3y ago

Maybe not consciously, but if the board is supposed to provide oversight it does not make any sense to put yourself and you friend as the chair of that oversight board. Perhaps in the "Tech Executive" mind having other people on the board does mean that putting yourself as the chair overseeing yourself is not the most blatant conflict of interest one can imagine. But undoubtedly this was constructed as a case of Obama giving a medal to himself from the start.

rramadass 3y ago

> But it couldn't have started that way surely? - why put in place a corporate structure, board, and profit cap that would limit that. The "Tech Executives" in the Industry have a poor opinion of Researchers/Engineers/Knowledge Workers and think that they are all naive and can be managed (i.e shafted) when it comes to business/money dealings. Any noob could see the potential in the researchers and technology and so Sam thought he could get in and then change/manipulate things to his (and his backers) advantage when the time came.