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For those not in the know, these are two of the most highly regarded operators in the Valley (if not as well known). Sarah was thought of as the person who "ran" Square, and Kevin is thought of as one of the strongest product leaders. They'd both be in my top 3 worldwide hires I'd try to make for these roles.
But if you actually believe they'll be super AI in a year or two, why even bother with a product till then? Seems like the only focus should be getting there first. Unless of course you don't actually believe that.
Honest question: Do they not each worry they are each, in their own way, going to be Linda Yaccarino?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think even the most bullish e/acc AI fanatic is probably not 100% sure AGI will be developed in a year or two, and so even in the most optimistic case you would want to hedge your bets.
Maybe not a year or two but the e/acc fanatics I know are 99.9% convinced its happening within the next 4-5. As in, anything short of World War 3 and it's happening. Maybe even still happening.
really interesting to see them hire two folks from consumer-tech backgrounds, rather than B2B or developer tools. I wonder if that signals an increasing focus on ChatGPT as a consumer product rather than the API / Enterprise products? (Edit: Sarah actually has a background in both Enterprise and Consumer)
In my opinion, OpenAI is building a platform business [1]. OpenAI is primarily an innovation platform. It provides tools, models, and APIs that enable developers and businesses to create new applications and services, fostering a wide ecosystem of innovation where OpenAI’s technology is the beating heart, driving high-margin revenue. While it also sells API access, its main role aligns with enabling third-party innov…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think he's insinuating that with a figurehead such as Sam Altman, that Sarah and Kevin might be more showpieces than given autonomy to operate.
I'm not insinuating. I'm asking. It's a pretty reasonable question for both of them. Perhaps more for the CFO, given what we know of Altman's, er, lack of candour with the board where money is concerned. But maybe given the "Her" debate it applies to both of them, in different ways. Is this a company where the executives can really be more than rubber stamps?
But if you actually believe they'll be super AI in a year or two, why even bother with a product till then? Seems like the only focus should be getting there first. Unless of course you don't actually believe that.
Honest question: Do they not each worry they are each, in their own way, going to be Linda Yaccarino?
This, OTOH is a just a simple straightforward C-Suite. Sam is the boss, and he hired two reports to handle areas where they have expertise. This might be the simplest corporate thing OpenAI has ever done, lol.
But if you actually believe they'll be super AI in a year or two, why even bother with a product till then? Seems like the only focus should be getting there first. Unless of course you don't actually believe that.
https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=8047
(N.b. in the ex-employee author's pdf article mentioned above, a page dedicates his pdf to Ilya, who is also out of the company, so in context it's a pointed statement writing that dedication IMO)