3 ms·

they didn’t want to leave because of OpenAI’s great compensation packages ($300k+) I do think it is a little unfair to characterize MSFT as “slow and boring” w

by ausbah 3y ago

they didn’t want to leave because of OpenAI’s great compensation packages ($300k+) I do think it is a little unfair to characterize MSFT as “slow and boring” when they’ve been the ones to make the fastest pivot to supporting generative AI as a product line

soulbadguy 3y ago
I think the deal was for employee to keep their OpenAI compensation even after moving to MSFT
- jandrese 3y ago
  Even if they did you know the annual performance review would go something like: "You did a great job this year and met or exceeded all of the metrics we measured, but your compa ratio is just too high so instead of a raise we are going to give you a lump sum instead." Big company culture vs. startup culture is a known issue. People choose to work for startups to avoid that big company culture, so if a big company buys you out then it's time to move on.
  - scarface_74 3y ago
    How is that culture at OpenAi working out?
- gwern 3y ago
  OP discusses this and how it was a hollow promise. Even if it was kept in the full spirit of the nonbinding verbal agreement (which would utterly infuriate MS staff and demoralize them), it would be a bad deal to swap ultra-hot private OA PPUs for the same nominal (but low-growth) amount of MS stock and then have to work at MS.
andy99 3y ago
These are all people who could make good money anywhere. Few are presumably there solely because it's the best paying job. Part of it is certainly identity, OpenAI or $hot_startup sounds way cooler than Microsoft to a lot of people. And part would be wanting to work at a startup and not a legacy SaaS company and all the baggage that entails. Whatever carve-out they were going to get, there's now way you'd be as unconstrained working at MS as you would at OpenAI. It's precisely because the money isn't that important that a lot would have probably bailed if they all were absorbed into Microsoft.
boringg 3y ago
Have you looked at MSFT corporate record and the current state of their bread and butter products?

by ausbah 3y ago

soulbadguy 3y ago

I think the deal was for employee to keep their OpenAI compensation even after moving to MSFT

jandrese 3y ago
Even if they did you know the annual performance review would go something like: "You did a great job this year and met or exceeded all of the metrics we measured, but your compa ratio is just too high so instead of a raise we are going to give you a lump sum instead." Big company culture vs. startup culture is a known issue. People choose to work for startups to avoid that big company culture, so if a big company buys you out then it's time to move on.
- scarface_74 3y ago
  How is that culture at OpenAi working out?
gwern 3y ago
OP discusses this and how it was a hollow promise. Even if it was kept in the full spirit of the nonbinding verbal agreement (which would utterly infuriate MS staff and demoralize them), it would be a bad deal to swap ultra-hot private OA PPUs for the same nominal (but low-growth) amount of MS stock and then have to work at MS.

andy99 3y ago

These are all people who could make good money anywhere. Few are presumably there solely because it's the best paying job. Part of it is certainly identity, OpenAI or $hot_startup sounds way cooler than Microsoft to a lot of people. And part would be wanting to work at a startup and not a legacy SaaS company and all the baggage that entails. Whatever carve-out they were going to get, there's now way you'd be as unconstrained working at MS as you would at OpenAI. It's precisely because the money isn't that important that a lot would have probably bailed if they all were absorbed into Microsoft.

boringg 3y ago

Have you looked at MSFT corporate record and the current state of their bread and butter products?