Why I Joined OpenAI

Post by gbbloke » Sat, Feb 07, 2026, 7:51 AM UTC

pyrale wrote: post #89

Banditoz wrote: post #4

> ...it's not just about saving costs – it's about saving the planet There's something that doesn't sit right with me about this statement, and I'm not sure what it is. Are you sure you didn't just join for the money? (edit: cool problems, too)

Probably because "making the world a better place" has been a trope used so much in the industry that it's made it to a TV show [1]. It's fine to be passionate about your job. It's fine to be paid well. You don't need to make us believe that you're mother Theresa on top of it. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8C5sjjhsso

Post by T-A » Sat, Feb 07, 2026, 7:57 AM UTC

trhway wrote: post #87

pillefitz wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue is that you're doing lot, but not saving the planet. What do you think is happening with the efficiency gains? You're making rich people richer and helping AI to become an integral (i.e. positive ROI from business perspective) part of our lives. And that's perfectly fine if it aligns with your philosophy. It's not for quite a few others, and you not owning up to it leads to all kinds of negativity in the co…

>What do you think is happening with the efficiency gains? may it happen that the efficiency gains decrease demand and thus postpone investment into and development of new and better energy sources? If one couldn't get by just by bringing 20 trucks with gas turbines, may be he would have invested in fusion development :)

Post by jofzar » Sat, Feb 07, 2026, 8:03 AM UTC

jhhh wrote: post #92

Did the article intentionally start with a LLM cliche to filter out all the people who hate reading obviously generated content? I would say it worked.

Post by brendangregg » Sat, Feb 07, 2026, 8:07 AM UTC

altmanaltman wrote: post #90

brendangregg wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Again, many comments here saying I only care about the money, and while comp is an important factor I think it characterizes me as someone I'm not, and forgets what I've been doing for the past two decades. I've spent thousands of hours of my life writing textbooks for roughly minimum wage, as I want to help others like me (I came from nothing, with no access tech meetups or conferences, and books were the gateway to…

It's okay to want to make money. You don't really have to justify it this hard unless you want people to really think you don't think comp is important, which is a bit sus to be fair.

Post by yosefk » Sat, Feb 07, 2026, 8:18 AM UTC

brendangregg wrote: post #97

altmanaltman wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's okay to want to make money. You don't really have to justify it this hard unless you want people to really think you don't think comp is important, which is a bit sus to be fair.

When did I say I don't think comp is important?