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Sam Altman, Greg Brockman and others to join Microsoft

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

#581

Have to give it to Satya. There's a thin possibility that Microsoft would have to write-off its whole $10B (or more?) investment in OpenAI, but that isn't Satya's focus. The focus is on what he can do next. Maybe, recruit the most formidable AI team in the world, removed from the shackles of an awkward non-profit owning a for-profit company? Give enough (cash) incentives and most of OpenAI employees would have no qua…

Given it's Microsoft we're talking about, it's more likely they use it to find new and novel ways to shove Edge, OneDrive, Teams and Bing down your throat whenever you use any of their products.

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

#582
post #288

I don’t quite buy your Cyberpunk utopia where the Megacorp finally rids us of those pesky ethics qualms (or ”shackles“, as you phrased it.) Microsoft can now proceed without the guidance of a council that actually has humanities interests in mind, not only those of Microsoft shareholders. I don’t know whether all that caution will turn out to have been necessary, but I guess we’re just gleefully heading into whatever…

> The board did not remove Sam over any specific disagreement on safety, their reasoning was completely different from that.

https://twitter.com/eshear/status/1726526112019382275

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

#585
post #444
post #288

I don’t quite buy your Cyberpunk utopia where the Megacorp finally rids us of those pesky ethics qualms (or ”shackles“, as you phrased it.) Microsoft can now proceed without the guidance of a council that actually has humanities interests in mind, not only those of Microsoft shareholders. I don’t know whether all that caution will turn out to have been necessary, but I guess we’re just gleefully heading into whatever…

Ilya should just go to Anthropic AI at this point. They have better momentum at this point after all this, and share his ideals. But it would be funny because they broke off of OpenAI because of their Microsoft ventures already in 2019, haha. He'd be welcomed with a big "We told you so!"

That would actually be a good idea imo. Ilya should make OpenAI a PBC, then merge it with Anthropic and Amazon's compute power. Meanwhile Altman can become the next real life Nelson Bigetti or sth.

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

#586
post #288

I don’t quite buy your Cyberpunk utopia where the Megacorp finally rids us of those pesky ethics qualms (or ”shackles“, as you phrased it.) Microsoft can now proceed without the guidance of a council that actually has humanities interests in mind, not only those of Microsoft shareholders. I don’t know whether all that caution will turn out to have been necessary, but I guess we’re just gleefully heading into whatever…

I think it's a misconception that Microsoft has less morals. Their Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Eric Horvitz, was one of the key people behind America's 2022 nuclear weapons policy update which states that we will always maintain a human in the loop for nuclear weapons employment. (i.e., systems like WOPR are now forbidden under US policy.) Here is the full excerpt of the part of the 2022 Nuclear Posture Review whic…

Are you seriously arguing for Microsoft morals...On the basis of a totally logical, from a self-preserving prespective, statement on Nuclear Weapons, from a Scientific Advisor with no involvement on the day to day run of their business?

What is next? A statement on Oracle kindness, based on Larry Ellison appreciation of Japanese gardens?

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

#587
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.

Sounds desperate to me, a bit like that 'I'm in the office' photo-op. A bit like having access to the models or whatever is sustaining him somehow lol

Lol

Desperate... Right...

The guy met with the Arabs a few weeks back about billions in financing for a new venture. The guys desperate like I'm Donald duck.

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

#588
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.

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?

It's a no lose situation for Microsoft.

Either there in house team wins out and Microsoft wins.

Or OpenAI wins out and Microsoft wins with there exclusive deal and 75% of OpenAI profits.

Better to have two horses in the race in something so important, makes it much harder than one of the other companies will be the one to come out top.

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

#589
post #446

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Remember when they did this? "Microsoft Buys Skype for $8.5 Billion" - https://www.wired.com/2011/05/microsoft-buys-skype-2/ To then write down their assets? "How Skype lost its crown to Zoom" - https://www.wired.co.uk/article/skype-coronavirus-pandemic Or when they did this ? Or how in 2014... "Microsoft buying Nokia's phone business in a $7.2 billion bid for its mobile future" - https://www.theverge.com/2013/9/2/46…

Remember when they did this? "Microsoft to acquire GitHub for $7.5 billion" - https://news.microsoft.com/2018/06/04/microsoft-to-acquire-g... only to enable GitHub to do greater things, without disrupting user experience? "Four years after being acquired by Microsoft, GitHub keeps doing its thing" - https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/26/four-years-after-being-acq... or when they acquired LinkedIn before that? "Microsoft…

> Four years after being acquired by Microsoft, GitHub keeps doing its thing

The fact that this is even news speaks of the absolute shit job they've done with acquisitions in the past.

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

#590
post #444
post #288

I don’t quite buy your Cyberpunk utopia where the Megacorp finally rids us of those pesky ethics qualms (or ”shackles“, as you phrased it.) Microsoft can now proceed without the guidance of a council that actually has humanities interests in mind, not only those of Microsoft shareholders. I don’t know whether all that caution will turn out to have been necessary, but I guess we’re just gleefully heading into whatever…

Ilya should just go to Anthropic AI at this point. They have better momentum at this point after all this, and share his ideals. But it would be funny because they broke off of OpenAI because of their Microsoft ventures already in 2019, haha. He'd be welcomed with a big "We told you so!"

Considering Anthropic and them joining up, with Ilya and Dario that would be a technical powerhouse. As Amodei already showed that such a key person can ramp up quality real fast out of nothing. The two back together would be fantastic. Between Altman and Brockman there's nothing to write home about tech-wise.
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