Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Sam Altman, Greg Brockman and others to join Microsoft

twitter.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

181–190 of 1001 posts

Re: Sam Altman, Greg Brockman and others to join Microsoft

#181

Post by tempusalaria »

karmasimida wrote: post #32
lannisterstark wrote: post #2

Listen. I was confused when the whole thing was going down. I was more confused when the whole "board wants to backtrack and maybe resign" thing was going down. I got even more confused when Emmett Shear was announced as the CEO. ...but never in a hundred years would I have imagined "haha just join Microsoft" as an actual alternative. I remain, confused.

And for the OpenAI employees, they can just switch the badge in a blink second, it almost feel like a no-brainer to many. I think Sam just took the easier route to rebuild OpenAI within MSFT. Now the trouble comes to the SV VCs they now will be furious.

Imagine thinking that top AI researchers are going to start choosing to work for MSFT after years of them being second class citizens there.

Like if they don’t like OpenAI they can go to 10 other places that pay more and treat researchers better than MSFT

Re: Sam Altman, Greg Brockman and others to join Microsoft

#182

Post by clhodapp »

alsodumb wrote: post #76
quotemstr wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By joining Microsoft, they retain access to all the data, weights, and infrastructure they had at OpenAI. They don't have to start from scratch and ramp up. They can start up right where they left off.

Your comment got me thinking, it's not just all the current access to all the data, weights, and infrastructure they had at OpenAI, it's also everything that will come out of OpenAI in the future. Remember, Microsoft has an exclusive license to all models that come out of OpenAI until they reach the pre-agreed income threshold, which given the current trajectory of OpenAI, will not happen anytime soon.

I wonder if the OpenAI board will shut down the for-profit to avoid handing the tech to Microsoft now...

Re: Sam Altman, Greg Brockman and others to join Microsoft

#183

Post by wokwokwok »

waihtis wrote: post #8

Anyone else find it strange that startup founders of the magnitude of Sam & Greg would join a gigantic corporation as employees? It sounds very out of line of what you'd expect.

The only meaningful thing here that makes sense to me is that the “secret sauce” that openAI has is exclusively licensed to Microsoft.

Which means, starting a competing startup means they can’t use it.

Which makes their (potential) competing startup indistinguishable from the (many) other startups in this space competing with OpenAI.

Does Sam really want to be a no-name research head of some obscure Microsoft research division?

I don’t think so.

Can’t really see any other reason for this that makes sense.

Re: Sam Altman, Greg Brockman and others to join Microsoft

#184

Post by soumyadeb »

kjksf wrote: post #161
soumyadeb wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like a good compromise? OpenAI continues to develop core AI offered over API. Microsoft builds the developer ecosystem around it -- that's Sam's expertise anyway. Microsoft has made a bunch of investment in the developer ecosystem in GitHub and that fits the theme. Assuming Sam sticks around. Also, the way the tweet is worded (looking forward to working with OpenAI), seems like its a truce negotiated by Satya?

This is Microsoft starting a copy machine to replace OpenAI with in-house tech in medium to long term. Apparently Microsoft already had plans to spend $50 billion on cloud hardware. Now they are getting software talent and insider knowledge to replace OpenAI software with in-house tech built by Sam, Greg and others that will join. Satya just pulled a kill move on OpenAI.

Does Microsoft (under the OpenAI agreement) have access to the model code etc or just the output? If not, they would have to rebuild it.

Not sure if its obvious that people would leave OpenAI in troves to join Microsoft just to be with Sam.

Re: Sam Altman, Greg Brockman and others to join Microsoft

#185

Post by g42gregory »

Wow. This sounds like an amazing coup for Microsoft. They are getting Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, "together with colleagues". With this team, they will be able to rebuild GPT in-house. I fear that with this development, the commercial side of the OpenAI is pretty much gone. Which sounds like what the OpenAI board has intended to do all along. I think this will also spark a big exodus from OpenAI.

I am also curious about how OpenAI board is planning to raise the money for non-profit for further scaling. I don't think it would be that easy now.

An internet meme from Lord of the Rings comes to mind: "One does not simply fire Sam Altman."

Re: Sam Altman, Greg Brockman and others to join Microsoft

#187

Post by sekai »

kjksf wrote: post #117
waihtis wrote: post #8

Anyone else find it strange that startup founders of the magnitude of Sam & Greg would join a gigantic corporation as employees? It sounds very out of line of what you'd expect.

Their alternative is to start a new AI company. At this point in time a new AI company would be bottle-necked by lack of NVIDIA GPUs. They are sold out for the medium term future. So if Sam and Greg were to start a new AI company, even with billions of initial capital (very likely given their street cred) they would spend at a minimum several months just acquiring the hardware needed to compete with OpenAI. With Micr…

> So Microsoft decided to compete with OpenAI

They already do, though, has everyone forgot they got a Microsoft Research division?

Re: Sam Altman, Greg Brockman and others to join Microsoft

#188

Post by ssnistfajen »

swimwiththebeat wrote: post #17

I thought for sure the only two outcomes were that Altman raises money for a new startup or he comes back to OpenAI with a new governance structure (which is still a wild and crazy outcome, but crazier things have happened). Now that this happened though, I feel stupid for not considering this as a possible outcome at all. The whole timeline of events over the last two events still leaves me scratching my head though…

It's confusing because no one beyond the direct negotiating parties knows exactly why any of this is happening in the first place. The media scoops about commercialization disputes don't seem that important to warrant such a dramatic showdown

Re: Sam Altman, Greg Brockman and others to join Microsoft

#190

Post by zoogeny »

All of the naysayers here seem convinced this is Altman and Microsoft looking to destroy OpenAI.

Normally I am the cynic but this time I’m seeing a potential win-win here. Altman uses his talent to recruit and drive forward a brilliant product focused AI. OpenAI gets to refocus on deep research and safety.

Put aside cynicism and consider Nadella is looking to create the best of all worlds for all parties. This might just be it.

All of the product focused engineering peeps have a great place to flock to. Those who believe in the original charter of OpenAI can get back to work on the things that brought them to the company in the first place.

Big props to Nadella. He also heads off a bloodbath in the market tomorrow. So big props to Altman too for his loyalty. By backing MS instead of starting something brand new he is showing massive support for Nadella.

Post reply on HN