4 ms·

OpenAI prepares to fight for its life as legal troubles mount

48 points by SkyMarshal 3y ago

hiddencost 3y ago
Small detail which helps me calibrate on the quality of the article (from MSN). They list a 300k salary for a lawyer after saying open AI is hiring top legal minds. I'm sure they are hiring top legal experts, but $300k is very little money compared to the cost of a good corporate lawyer.
- mi_lk 3y ago
  What range should it be?
- alfalfasprout 3y ago
  In house counsel is usually not remotely as well compensated as external counsel that bills hours for a team. That said, possible this isn't counting equity?
- Jabrov 3y ago
  Typically these companies pay in equity on top of the cash salary
- jprete 3y ago
  The article states: "The company has posted a job for an antitrust lawyer — with a salary of up to $300,000" OpenAI has an actual "senior AI product counsel" role posted with a $250-300k salary range. https://openai.com/careers/search?c=legal https://openai.com/careers/search?c=legal leading to https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/openai/12b1092b-d814-4991-b23c-997445d7effd/application https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/openai/12b1092b-d814-4991-b23c-9974...
  - samspenc 3y ago
    Also for OpenAI, wouldn't this be base salary? And they would pay equity on top of that?
- jordanpg 3y ago
  It's very likely that this person will be responsible for, among other things, farming a great deal of work out to other law firms that will bill quite a lot more than $300k/year.
- nicolashahn 3y ago
  They will also offer equity which will be much more than that.
- ProfessorLayton 3y ago
  In-house counsel don't replace big law firms? I believe their role is to guide a company legally as much as possible, and to interface with Big Law when shit hits the fan.
  - ethbr1 3y ago
    I'm a bit shocked the OpenAI didn't already have a large in-house legal team preemptively preparing a defense. Did they not think they were going to get sued over training on copyrighted works?
Lammy 3y ago
Next year: “‘Beleaguered’ OpenAI prepares for Microsoft acquisition” (who will enjoy a depressed purchase price after so much negative press)
- toomuchtodo 3y ago
  Already did an acquihire dry run. If it comes to this, it'll be some paperwork while OpenAI gets absorbed into MS and copyright holders fight a $3.15T corporation. gl;hf with that.
  - cdchn 3y ago
    All Copyright Holders For Every Medium vs. Mega-est of MegaCorps? Forget Wrestlemania, I'd pay-per-view that match.
  - dartos 3y ago
    Tbf 3.15T in market cap, not buying power. A few heavyweight copyright holders like Sony, fox, wb, and Disney could put up a good fight.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
  - chasd00 3y ago
    the entire US Justice Department fought Microsoft to basically a draw. Good luck copyright holders, i'm rooting for ya.
    - dragonwriter 3y ago
      Not sure Microsoft can get more favorable leadership elected at all of the copyright holders the way it managed to do with the US government at just the right time for the antitrust case.
      - toomuchtodo 3y ago
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
cdme 3y ago
Very much a case of asking for forgiveness rather than permission. I sincerely hope creators succeed and OpenAI fails.

48 points by SkyMarshal 3y ago

Small detail which helps me calibrate on the quality of the article (from MSN). They list a 300k salary for a lawyer after saying open AI is hiring top legal minds. I'm sure they are hiring top legal experts, but $300k is very little money compared to the cost of a good corporate lawyer.

mi_lk 3y ago
What range should it be?
alfalfasprout 3y ago
In house counsel is usually not remotely as well compensated as external counsel that bills hours for a team. That said, possible this isn't counting equity?
Jabrov 3y ago
Typically these companies pay in equity on top of the cash salary
jprete 3y ago
The article states: "The company has posted a job for an antitrust lawyer — with a salary of up to $300,000" OpenAI has an actual "senior AI product counsel" role posted with a $250-300k salary range. https://openai.com/careers/search?c=legal https://openai.com/careers/search?c=legal leading to https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/openai/12b1092b-d814-4991-b23c-997445d7effd/application https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/openai/12b1092b-d814-4991-b23c-9974...
- samspenc 3y ago
  Also for OpenAI, wouldn't this be base salary? And they would pay equity on top of that?
jordanpg 3y ago
It's very likely that this person will be responsible for, among other things, farming a great deal of work out to other law firms that will bill quite a lot more than $300k/year.
nicolashahn 3y ago
They will also offer equity which will be much more than that.
ProfessorLayton 3y ago
In-house counsel don't replace big law firms? I believe their role is to guide a company legally as much as possible, and to interface with Big Law when shit hits the fan.
- ethbr1 3y ago
  I'm a bit shocked the OpenAI didn't already have a large in-house legal team preemptively preparing a defense. Did they not think they were going to get sued over training on copyrighted works?

Lammy 3y ago

Next year: “‘Beleaguered’ OpenAI prepares for Microsoft acquisition” (who will enjoy a depressed purchase price after so much negative press)

toomuchtodo 3y ago
Already did an acquihire dry run. If it comes to this, it'll be some paperwork while OpenAI gets absorbed into MS and copyright holders fight a $3.15T corporation. gl;hf with that.
- cdchn 3y ago
  All Copyright Holders For Every Medium vs. Mega-est of MegaCorps? Forget Wrestlemania, I'd pay-per-view that match.
- dartos 3y ago
  Tbf 3.15T in market cap, not buying power. A few heavyweight copyright holders like Sony, fox, wb, and Disney could put up a good fight.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
- chasd00 3y ago
  the entire US Justice Department fought Microsoft to basically a draw. Good luck copyright holders, i'm rooting for ya.
  - dragonwriter 3y ago
    Not sure Microsoft can get more favorable leadership elected at all of the copyright holders the way it managed to do with the US government at just the right time for the antitrust case.
    - toomuchtodo 3y ago

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

cdme 3y ago

Very much a case of asking for forgiveness rather than permission. I sincerely hope creators succeed and OpenAI fails.