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

OpenAI board reappoints Altman and adds three other directors

reuters.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

141–150 of 324 posts

Re: OpenAI board reappoints Altman and adds three other directors

#141

Post by pdonis »

geodel wrote: post #115
pdonis wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My takeaway is that neither side comes out of this looking very good.

Well, what is supposed to be good in this situation and to whom?

Considering all the talk about AI risks, talk which has been put out by Altman and the others involved in this as much as anyone, I would say "good" would mean people who can be trusted to be responsible stewards of such a potentially risky technology. At the very least, that would mean people who (a) can act like mature adults, and (b) have a healthy amount of humility. I don't see either of those characteristics in any of the people involved in all this.

Re: OpenAI board reappoints Altman and adds three other directors

#142

Post by [deleted] »

coffeebeqn wrote: post #101
swatcoder wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. It's not random, it's revealing. You can see them starting to aim towards their first commercial bets beyond search and developer tools while still paying lip service to the safety cult.

I still don’t understand the safety concerns. I see a 0% chance that we can control a superhuman AI. What could ants invent to keep humans aligned with them? Alignment meaning that people would think of ants first instead of whatever their current ranking is. Maybe they’re in the top 10000 priorities

[deleted]

Re: OpenAI board reappoints Altman and adds three other directors

#143

Post by staplers »

Retric wrote: post #40
kmeisthax wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The answer is that Altman tried to get the Board removed, the Board found out and snap fired him, which scared the shit out of Microsoft. The prior and new Boards both cannot make the allegation that Altman tried to commit a corporate coup, albeit for different reasons[0], so we're never going to get official confirmation of anything. My prediction is that Altman will, unmoored from any sort of accountability, wind u…

OpenAI is a nonprofit which changes most motivations for the board. They are ultimately tasked with preserving the mission rather than profit which cases Altman in a very poor light here. There is a for profit subsidiary which Microsoft invested 13 billion in, but that can't return money to board members only Altman and it's investors.

  OpenAI is a nonprofit
Do people really still believe this?

Re: OpenAI board reappoints Altman and adds three other directors

#144

Post by pests »

coffeebeqn wrote: post #101
swatcoder wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. It's not random, it's revealing. You can see them starting to aim towards their first commercial bets beyond search and developer tools while still paying lip service to the safety cult.

I still don’t understand the safety concerns. I see a 0% chance that we can control a superhuman AI. What could ants invent to keep humans aligned with them? Alignment meaning that people would think of ants first instead of whatever their current ranking is. Maybe they’re in the top 10000 priorities

Can you describe how it would be uncontrollable to us?

Everyone says this but no one has any details.

Also,

> What could ants invent to keep humans aligned with them?

I think humans aren't _not_ aligned with ants. I don't go out searching to destroy all ants, or really worry at all, we just kinda coexist.

Re: OpenAI board reappoints Altman and adds three other directors

#145

Post by aedon »

Jensson wrote: post #128
tptacek wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What "maneuver"? They don't appear to have had to do anything to win.

If they did nothing Sam Altman would have won, since their job is to reign in Sam Altman when he goes out of bounds of the original mission.

Exactly. MSFT is who won here. I highly recommend you all watch OpenAI section of the new ALL-IN Podcast. Sam and OpenAI is in a very bad situation if Elon gets heard by a fair judge.

Re: OpenAI board reappoints Altman and adds three other directors

#146

Post by ori_b »

Retric wrote: post #40
kmeisthax wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The answer is that Altman tried to get the Board removed, the Board found out and snap fired him, which scared the shit out of Microsoft. The prior and new Boards both cannot make the allegation that Altman tried to commit a corporate coup, albeit for different reasons[0], so we're never going to get official confirmation of anything. My prediction is that Altman will, unmoored from any sort of accountability, wind u…

OpenAI is a nonprofit which changes most motivations for the board. They are ultimately tasked with preserving the mission rather than profit which cases Altman in a very poor light here. There is a for profit subsidiary which Microsoft invested 13 billion in, but that can't return money to board members only Altman and it's investors.

It hasn't been a nonprofit in years.

https://openai.com/blog/openai-lp

Re: OpenAI board reappoints Altman and adds three other directors

#147

Post by aedon »

mikewarot wrote: post #122
cooper_ganglia wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do we have a formal legal definition for AGI?

No, the Board determines when AGI is reached. Thus, if OpenAI already got there, and the board found out... Microsoft would have a very VERY strong incentive to ouster the board, and never, ever have Skynet, or whatever, declared an AGI. And then hush it up forever.

They've completely upended the original non-profit focused board and literally installed the former CEO of the Bill Gates Foundation.

MSFT is going all in, dropping all pretense of OpenAI ever being viewed as a non-profit.

It's insane how many people are seemingly forgetting Elon's lawsuit.

Re: OpenAI board reappoints Altman and adds three other directors

#149

Post by apantel »

Jensson wrote: post #140
tptacek wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where by "greed" you mean "the prospect that anybody's equity would be worth anything".

That is greed, everyone who works for OpenAI already had a ton of money since they pay so much, demanding more at the cost of the non-profit mission is greed. I am fine with people being greedy, but don't say it isn't greed.

“Greed” is one of those words where the definition doesn’t really tell you where the line is:

“intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.” (Oxford via Google)

Who doesn’t feel “intense and selfish desire” for money? Who doesn’t feel that going into a performance review?

It’s human nature to feel this feeling, if that’s what we want to call “greed”.

Re: OpenAI board reappoints Altman and adds three other directors

#150

Post by tptacek »

Jensson wrote: post #140
tptacek wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where by "greed" you mean "the prospect that anybody's equity would be worth anything".

That is greed, everyone who works for OpenAI already had a ton of money since they pay so much, demanding more at the cost of the non-profit mission is greed. I am fine with people being greedy, but don't say it isn't greed.

If you say so. I'm just saying: it's not surprising that labor beat ownership here.
Post reply on HN