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OpenAI departures: Why can’t former employees talk?

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Re: OpenAI departures: Why can’t former employees talk?

#781

Post by mynameisvlad »

spinach wrote: post #757
sumedh wrote: post #641

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you’ll see that he cares a lot about the truth. Didnt he call the cave diver, a pedo and the guy who attacked Pelosi's husband they were in a gay relationship.

He doesn't seem have much of a filter because of his aspergers, but I think he genuinely believed those things. And they are more on the level of calling people names on the playground anyway. In the grand scheme of things, those are pretty shallow "lies".

Oh so it’s ok to lie and call people a pedophile (which is far beyond playground name-calling; from a famous person a statement like that actually carries a lot of weight) if you genuinely believe it and have Asperger’s?

Those might explain his behavior, but it does not excuse it.

Re: OpenAI departures: Why can’t former employees talk?

#782

Post by schmidtleonard »

kibwen wrote: post #711
MVissers wrote: post #707

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tbh, he wasn’t convicted as far as I know. But yes, he’s overly optimistic with timelines. He says so himself.

The first time someone is "overly optimistic with a timeline", you should forgive them. The tenth time, you should have the good sense to realize that they're full of shit and either a habitual liar or utterly incompetent.

Realists are incapable of pushing frontiers.

If you are doing something that has been done before, hire a realist. Your project will ship on time and within budget. If you are doing something that hasn't been done before, you need an optimist. Partly because the realists run for the hills -- they know the odds and the odds are bad -- but also because their hedging behavior will turn your small chance of success into zero chance of success. On these projects, optimism doesn't guarantee success, but pessimism/realism does guarantee failure.

So no, I am not scandalized to find that the world's biggest innovator (I hate his politics, but this is simply the truth) is systematically biased towards optimism. It's not surprising, it is inevitable.

Re: OpenAI departures: Why can’t former employees talk?

#783

Post by dmoy »

benreesman wrote: post #668
nar001 wrote: post #625

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any stories or events you can talk about? It sounds interesting

The New Yorker piece is pretty terrifying and manages to be so while bending over backwards to present both sides of not maybe even suck up to SV a bit. Certainly no one forced Altman to say on the record that Ice Nine in the water glass was what he had planned for anyone who crossed him, and no one forced pg to say, likewise on the record that “Sam’s real talent is becoming powerful” or something to that effect. It…

For anyone else like me who hasn't read Kurt Vonnegut, but does know about different ice states (e.g. Ice IX):

"Ice Nine" is a fictional assassination device that makes you turn into ice after consuming ice (?) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice-nine

"Ice IX" (ice nine) is Ice III at a low enough temperature and high enough pressure to be proton-ordered https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phases_of_ice#Known_phases

So here, Sam Altman is stating a death threat.

Re: OpenAI departures: Why can’t former employees talk?

#784

Post by confidantlake »

robertlagrant wrote: post #774
yashap wrote: post #760

For a company that is actively pursuing AGI (and probably the #1 contender to get there), this type of behaviour is extremely concerning. There’s a very real/significant risk that AGI either literally destroys the human race, or makes life much shittier for most humans by making most of us obsolete. These risks are precisely why OpenAI was founded as a very open company with a charter that would firmly put the needs…

> or makes life much shittier for most humans by making most of us obsolete I'm not sure this is true. If all the things people are doing are done so much more cheaply they're almost free, that would be good for us, as we're also the buyers as well as the workers. However, I also doubt the premise.

Why would you need buyers if AI can create anything you desire?

Re: OpenAI departures: Why can’t former employees talk?

#785

Post by modeless »

bambax wrote: post #485
modeless wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They can sue you into bankruptcy, obviously. Also, what if you can't sell? Selling is at their discretion. They can prevent you from selling some of your so-called "equity" to keep you on their leash as long as they want.

> * They can prevent you from selling some of your so-called "equity"* But how much do you need? Sell half, forgo the rest, and you'll be fine.

Not a lot of people out there willing to drop half of their net worth on the floor on principle. And then sign up for years of high profile lawsuits and character assassination.

Re: OpenAI departures: Why can’t former employees talk?

#786

Post by bobbob1921 »

Buttons840 wrote: post #214

So part of their compensation for working is equity, and when they leave thay have to sign an additional agreement in order to keep their previously earned compensation? How is this legal? Mine as well tell them they have to give all their money back too. What's the consideration for this contract?

I would guess it’s a bonus and part of their bonus structure and they agreed to the terms of any exit/departure, when they sign their initial contract.

I’m not saying it’s right or that I agree with it, however.

Re: OpenAI departures: Why can’t former employees talk?

#787

Post by schmidt_fifty »

pavel_lishin wrote: post #776
schmidt_fifty wrote: post #764

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There’s a very real/significant risk that AGI either literally destroys the human race If this were true, intelligent people would have taken over society by now. Those in power will never relinquish it to a computer just as they refuse to relinquish it to more competent people. For the vast majority of people, AI not only doesn't pose a risk but will only help reveal the incompetence of the ruling class.

>> There’s a very real/significant risk that AGI either literally destroys the human race > If this were true, intelligent people would have taken over society by now The premise you're replying to - one I don't think I agree with - is that a true AGI would be so much smarter, so much more powerful, that it wouldn't be accurate to describe it as "more smart". You're probably smarter than a guy who recreationally huff…

[dead]

Re: OpenAI departures: Why can’t former employees talk?

#788

Post by mc32 »

jay-barronville wrote: post #173

It probably would be better to switch the link from the X post to the Vox article [0]. From the article: “““ It turns out there’s a very clear reason for [why no one who had once worked at OpenAI was talking]. I have seen the extremely restrictive off-boarding agreement that contains nondisclosure and non-disparagement provisions former OpenAI employees are subject to. It forbids them, for the rest of their lives, fr…

Then lower level employees who don’t have do much at stake could open up. Formers who have much larger stakes could compensate these lower level formers for forgoing any upside. Now, sure, maybe they don’t have the same inside information, but u bet there’s lots of scuttlebutt to go around.

Re: OpenAI departures: Why can’t former employees talk?

#789

Post by mc32 »

yashap wrote: post #760

For a company that is actively pursuing AGI (and probably the #1 contender to get there), this type of behaviour is extremely concerning. There’s a very real/significant risk that AGI either literally destroys the human race, or makes life much shittier for most humans by making most of us obsolete. These risks are precisely why OpenAI was founded as a very open company with a charter that would firmly put the needs…

Can higher level formers with more at stake pool together comp for lower levels with much less at stake so they can speak to it? Obvs they may not be privy to some things, but there’s likely lots to go around.

Re: OpenAI departures: Why can’t former employees talk?

#790

Post by stale2002 »

sneak wrote: post #236
ecjhdnc2025 wrote: post #212

It shouldn't be legal and maybe it isn't, but all schemes like this are, when you get down to it, ultimately about suppressing potential or actual evidence of serious, possibly criminal misconduct, so I don't think they are going to let the illegality get them all upset while they are having fun.

What crimes do you think have occurred here?

Right now, there is some publicity on Twitter regarding AGI/OpenAI/EA LSD cnc parties (consent non consent/simulated rape parties).

So maybe it's related to that.

https://twitter.com/soniajoseph_/status/1791604177581310234

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