💡 From the ideal of openness to commercial monopoly
OpenAI began with a dream: to create AI that would work for the benefit of all humanity. But, as often happens, there was a huge gap between ideals and reality. How did Sam Altman turn a non-profit into a closed corporation valued at $157 billion, while beating out Elon Musk and his other co-founders? Let's find out.
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💸 What did Altman get?
1. Money
Musk has invested over $44 million (2016–2020) in "open" AI.
OpenAI received tax breaks as a non-profit organization.
Musk also provided a free office and paid expenses.
2. Reputation
Musk helped build the company's image as an ethical company.
Elon's name opened doors to scientific communities and investors.
3. Talents
OpenAI has lured top scientists, including Ilya Sutskever from Google.
Access to Musk's connections has been key to the team's growth.
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🚨 Alarm bells
Everything changed in 2018, when Andrej Karpathy warned Musk:
Developing AI is too expensive for NGOs.
OpenAI cannot compete with giants like Google.
Open research only helps competitors.
⚠️ Conclusion: you either need to merge with Tesla or change the model.
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🔄 Turning point
Altman and Brockman pushed for OpenAI to be commercialized in 2017–2018. Musk initially considered teaming up with Tesla, but when that failed, he issued an ultimatum:
"Stay an NGO or do something of your own."
In February 2018, Musk left the board of directors, and Altman took control.
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🎩 How Altman pulled off his scheme
1. Creation of a commercial network: assets and employees are moved from OpenAI to commercial entities.
2. Deal with Microsoft: Exclusive access to OpenAI technologies.
3. Research closure: New developments such as GPT-4 are no longer published.
4. Personal gain: deals with big players like Reddit and Rain AI.
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⚔️ Seizure of power in 2023
November 2023 was the moment of truth:
The board fired Altman for concealing information and conflicts of interest.
Altman launched a counterattack, gaining support from Microsoft and its employees.
Five days later he returned with a new, loyal board of directors.
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📈 Result
2024 year:
OpenAI is valued at $157 billion.
Research is closed, technologies are monetized.
Microsoft has become a key partner.
Altman is preparing a complete transition to a commercial model.
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🧐 What does this mean?
Sam Altman created a brilliant scheme:
Used the idea of open AI to attract funds and talent.
Built a powerful technology asset.
Transformed the NPO into a complex corporate network.
Elon Musk, despite his vision and experience, ended up "sponsoring" yet another closed AI company, losing control of the project.
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💬 What do you think?
Was this transformation inevitable? Or could OpenAI have stayed true to its roots?
y your principles? Write in the comments - this story is just beginning! 🚀
