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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

#851

Post by JumpCrisscross »

shubhamjain wrote: post #99

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…

> recruit the most formidable AI team in the world, removed from the shackles of an awkward non-profit owning a for-profit company

This massively increases the odds we’ll see AI regulated. That isn’t what Altman et al intended with their national press tour—the goal was to talk up the tech. But it should be good in the long run.

I also assume there will be litigation about what Sam et al can bring with them, and what they cannot.

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

#852

Post by fastball »

stingraycharles wrote: post #713
DalasNoin wrote: post #684

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reading the statement, I am doubtful that Microsoft and OpenAI can continue their business relationship. I think the most aggressive part of this is the "[they will be joining] together with colleagues" sub sentence. He is basically openly poaching the employees of a company that he supposedly has a very close cooperation with. This situation seems especially difficult since Microsoft basically houses all of openai's…

In the end it’s all about business, and it’s not in Microsoft’s interest to destroy OpenAI. It’s in Microsoft’s interest to keep the relationship warm, because it’s basically two different philosophies that are at odds with each other, one of which is now being housed under Microsoft R&D. For all we know, OpenAI may actually achieve AGI, and Microsoft will still want a front row seat in case that happens.

Microsoft specifically does not get a front row seat (in any meaningful sense) to and OpenAI AGI event, per their agreement.

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

#853

Post by John7149 »

mighmi wrote: post #247

What is Sam's actual value re: AI and not just as a CEO/salesman-evangelist to get funding, which Microsoft doesn't need? Is he particularly apt at leading/managing research teams? OpenAI's slow productization doesn't imply he's a product/idea guy a la Jobs.

Likely being groom to take over Satya 10 years from now.

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

#855

Post by sanderjd »

9dev wrote: 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…

These concerns are in the hands of voters and their representatives in governments now, and really, they always were. A single private organization was never going to be able to solve the coordination problem of balancing progress in a technology against its impact on society.

Indeed, I think trying to do it that way increases the risk that the single private organization captures its regulators and ends up without effective oversight. To put it bluntly: I think it's going to be easier, politically, to regulate this technology with it being a battle between Microsoft, Meta, and Google all focused on commercial applications, than with the clearly dominant organization being a nonprofit that is supposedly altruistic and self-regulating.

I have sympathy for people who think that all sounds like a bad outcome because they are skeptical of politics and trust the big brains at OpenAI more. But personally I think governments have the ultimate responsibility to look out for the interests of the societies they govern.

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

#857

Post by _heimdall »

imgabe wrote: post #340
9dev wrote: 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…

You might notice that Microsoft shareholders are also part of humanity and destroying humanity would be highly detrimental to Microsoft's profits, so maybe their interests are not as misaligned as you think. I am always bemused by how people assume any corporate interest is automatically a cartoon supervillain who wants to destroy the entire world just because.

That assumption hasn't worked with the cigarette, oil, or pharmaceutical industries. Why would it work here?

It doesn't take a cartoon supervillain to keep selling cigarettes like candy even though you know they increase cancer risks. Or for oil companies to keep producing oil and burying alternative energy sources. Or for the Sacklers to give us Oxy.

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

#859

Post by kozikow »

waihtis wrote: 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.

We don't know the structure of their new unit, do we? Sometimes "startup in a big corp" may really bring the best of both worlds (although in reality, 90% of such initiatives bring the worst of the two worlds).

For many years, Microsoft Research had a reputation for giving researchers the most freedom. Probably even that's the reason why it hasn't been as successful as other bigcorp research labs.

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