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Why OpenAI's Structure Must Evolve to Advance Our Mission

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Re: Why OpenAI's Structure Must Evolve to Advance Our Mission

#231

Post by [deleted] »

ska wrote: post #131
ninth_ant wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think this underestimates the degree to which the people on these companies legitimately believe what they’re saying. I’ve worked at one of these companies and absolutely would fall into your category of being a true believer at the time. People of all stripes are extremely willing to embrace ideas that justify their own personal benefit. A rich person might be more likely to believe in trickle-down economics becau…

> It’s not just being a gullible true believer ... “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!” - Upton Sinclair (1930's ?)

[deleted]

Re: Why OpenAI's Structure Must Evolve to Advance Our Mission

#233

Post by maeil »

scarface_74 wrote: post #180
maeil wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Everyone has a price, is this meant to be shocking? Left a very-well paying job over conscience reasons. TC was ~3x higher than I could get elsewhere without immigrating, probably higher than anywhere relative to CoL. I wasn't even doing defense stuff, crypto scams or anything clearly questionable like that, just clients were mostly in fossil-fuel adjacent sectors. Come from a lower-class background and haven't bui…

There is a huge difference between being “principled” between 3x and 1x when you are going from 200K to 600K and when you are going from $50K to $150K. Once you have “enough”, your personal marginal utility for money changes. Would you go from what you are making now to being an at home nurse taking care of special needs kids for $16/hour?

> There is a huge difference between being “principled” between 3x and 1x when you are going from 200K to 600K and when you are going from $50K to $150K.

If it'd be anything remotely like the former, I would have built up sizable assets (which I didn't), especially as I mentioned relative to CoL :)

Re: Why OpenAI's Structure Must Evolve to Advance Our Mission

#234

Post by maeil »

jasode wrote: post #159
maeil wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But to outsiders, it looks like a scam or bait-and-switch. It doesn't look like one - it is one. > We’re excited to welcome the following new donors to OpenAI: Jed McCaleb (opens in a new window), Gabe Newell (opens in a new window), Michael Seibel (opens in a new window), Jaan Tallinn (opens in a new window), and Ashton Eaton (opens in a new window) and Brianne Theisen-Eaton (opens in a new window). Reid Hoffman (…

>It doesn't look like one - it is one. > We’re excited to welcome the following new donors to OpenAI: ... The story is that OpenAI worked out some equity conversion of the for-profit co for the donors to the non-profit. Elon Musk was the notable holdout. Elon was offered some unknown percentage for his ~$40 million donation but he refused. Seems like the donors are ok with OpenAI pivot to for-profit ... except for El…

That does not make it less of a scam.

These people "donated to a non-profit". They did not "invest in a for-profit".

If the Red Cross suddenly turns into a for-profit and then says "well we'll give our donators of the past few years equity in our new company", this does not make it any less of a scam.

> Seems like the donors are ok with OpenAI pivot to for-profit

If you have information that shows this, feel free to add it. "Not suing" is not the same as that. Very few people sue even when they feel they're scammed.

Re: Why OpenAI's Structure Must Evolve to Advance Our Mission

#235

Post by LordDragonfang »

throw4847285 wrote: post #143
jerjerjer wrote: post #134

Start of the article: > OpenAI’s Board of Directors is evaluating our corporate structure in order to best support the mission of ensuring artificial general intelligence (AGI)1 Footnote 1: > A highly autonomous system that outperforms humans at most economically valuable work. A very interesting definition of AGI.

At least it's better than their secret internal definition. https://gizmodo.com/leaked-documents-show-openai-has-a-very-...

> According to leaked documents obtained by The Information, [OpenAI and Microsoft] came to agree in 2023 that AGI will be achieved once OpenAI has developed an AI system that can generate at least $100 billion in profits.

Re: Why OpenAI's Structure Must Evolve to Advance Our Mission

#236

Post by swalberg »

Seattle3503 wrote: post #189
jefftk wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"We are turning our non profit into a for profit because we want to make money" isn't legal. To make this transition in a way that maximizes how much money they can make while minimizing what they lose to lawsuits they need to explain what they're doing in a positive way.

> "We are turning our non profit into a for profit because we want to make money" isn't legal. Source? The NFL did this because they were already making a lot of money. As I understand it, the tax laws practically required the change.

The NFL passes net income back to the team owners. The taxation is generally the owner's problem.

Re: Why OpenAI's Structure Must Evolve to Advance Our Mission

#237

Post by scarface_74 »

maeil wrote: post #233
scarface_74 wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a huge difference between being “principled” between 3x and 1x when you are going from 200K to 600K and when you are going from $50K to $150K. Once you have “enough”, your personal marginal utility for money changes. Would you go from what you are making now to being an at home nurse taking care of special needs kids for $16/hour?

> There is a huge difference between being “principled” between 3x and 1x when you are going from 200K to 600K and when you are going from $50K to $150K. If it'd be anything remotely like the former, I would have built up sizable assets (which I didn't), especially as I mentioned relative to CoL :)

Did you give up so much potential income that you couldn’t meet your short term and long term wants and needs?

What did you give up in your lifestyle that you personally valued to choose a lower paying job?

I’m 50, (step)kids are grown, we downsized from the big house in the burbs to a condo in a state tax free state, etc and while I could make “FAANG” total compensation (been there done that), I much prefer a more laid back job, remote work, freedom to travel,etc. I also have always hated large companies.

I would have made different choices a decade ago if the opportunities had arisen.

I’m well aware that my income puts me at the top quintile of household income (while still lower than a mid level developer at any of the BigTech companies).

https://dqydj.com/household-income-percentile-calculator/

Be as vague as you are comfortable with. But where are you with respect to the median income locally?

Re: Why OpenAI's Structure Must Evolve to Advance Our Mission

#240

Post by insane_dreamer »

> does not allow the Board to directly consider the interests of those who would finance the mission

that's exactly how a non-profit is supposed to be -- it considers the interests of the mission, not the interests of those who finance the mission

I hate this weaselly newspeak.

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