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

OpenAI departures: Why can’t former employees talk?

vox.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

951–960 of 1001 posts

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

#951

Post by hot_cereal »

skeeter2020 wrote: post #765
smt88 wrote: post #333

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Look at Sam Altman's career and tweets. He's a clown at best, and at worst he's a manipulative crook who only cares about his own enrichment and uses pro-social ideas to give himself a veneer of trustworthiness.

I fear your characterization diminishes the real risk: he's incredibly well resourced, well-connected and intelligent while being utterly divorced from the reality of the majority he threatens. People like him and Peter Thiel are not simple crooks or idiots - they truly believe in their convictions. This is far scarier.

how does one divorce the belief that technology can be a force for good from the reality that the gatekeepers are so committed to being the most evil they can be

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

#953

Post by reducesuffering »

LtWorf wrote: post #949
reducesuffering wrote: post #871

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That sounds like the word problems that are on American AP Calc tests. You can be the judge of them here: https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap24-frq-calcul...

But I'm talking about stuff that can be solved with very easy mathematics. Using nothing more than +-*/

ChatGPT solves all +-*/ I throw at it. AP calc are much harder and still it solves successfully.

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

#954

Post by dizhn »

a_victorp wrote: post #939
bamboozled wrote: post #555

Earlier quoted context omitted.

America values money just as much as it values freedom. If there is any chance the money collection activities will be disturbed, then heads will roll, violently. See the assassination attempts on president Jackson.

Nah, it values money more

Freedom is good for business.

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

#955

Post by sabedevops »

tim333 wrote: post #923

Sama update on X, says sorry: >in regards to recent stuff about how openai handles equity: >we have never clawed back anyone's vested equity, nor will we do that if people do not sign a separation agreement (or don't agree to a non-disparagement agreement). vested equity is vested equity, full stop. >there was a provision about potential equity cancellation in our previous exit docs; although we never clawed anything…

He has 100% been coached by their legal counsel to distance himself from this as this is likely going to court soon (being it’s likely very illegal). That’s why he repeats “we’ve never clawed back” twice…the chilling effect intended had a real effect, at a crucial time for the company, the likely motivation being to defraud investors who may have otherwise been more careful in their support if internal malfeasance around data set sourcing practices were revealed.

I hope ex-employees sue and don’t contact him personally. The damage is done. Don’t be dumb folks.

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

#956

Post by eru »

p1esk wrote: post #947
eru wrote: post #944

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With private stocks, they can put further restrictions on what you can do with your stocks.

Sure, but in the event of liquidity, can they refuse to pay me the value of my shares? For any reason?

If they have even moderately clever lawyers and accountants, yes.

See eg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shareholder_rights_plan also known as a 'Poison Pill' to give you inspiration for one example.

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

#957

Post by hnfong »

a_victorp wrote: post #939
bamboozled wrote: post #555

Earlier quoted context omitted.

America values money just as much as it values freedom. If there is any chance the money collection activities will be disturbed, then heads will roll, violently. See the assassination attempts on president Jackson.

Nah, it values money more

"Freedom" has historically always been mostly about the freedom to make (and lose) money.

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

#958

Post by hnfong »

danielmarkbruce wrote: post #874
Chinjut wrote: post #717

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is absolutely something wrong with it. Just because a thing is common doesn't make it good.

Two people entering an agreement to not talk about something is fine. You and I should (and can, with very few restrictions) be able to agree that I'll do x, and you'll do y and we are going to keep the matter private. Anyone who wants to take away this ability for two people to do such a thing needs to take a long hard look at themselves, and maybe move to north korea.

There are things that are legal between parties of (presumed) equal footing, that aren't legal between employers and employees.

That's why you can pay $1 to buy a gadget made in some third world country, but you can't pay your employees less than say $8/hour due to minimum wage laws.

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

#959

Post by awesomeMilou »

loceng wrote: post #893
awesomeMilou wrote: post #738

Earlier quoted context omitted.

See this great video from Sabine Hossenfelder here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S9sDyooxf4 We have surpassed the 1.5°C goal and are on track towards 3.5°C to 5°C. This accelerates the climate change timeline so that we'll see effects postulated for the end of the century in about ~20 years.

The climate models aren't based on accurate data, nor enough data, so they lack integrity and should be taken with a grain of salt. Likewise, the cloud seeding they seem to be doing nearly worldwide now - the cloud formations from whatever they're spraying - are artificially changing weather patterns, and so a lot of the weather "anomalies" or unexpected-unusual weather-temperatures could very easily be because of th…

> The climate models aren't based on accurate data

I'm sorry, do you have a source for that claim? You seem to dismiss the video without any evidence.

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

#960

Post by robertlagrant »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #826
marcusverus wrote: post #809

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure businesses will capture some of the value, but is there any reason to assume they'll capture all or even most of it? Over the last ~ 50 years, worker productivity is up ~250%[0], profits (within the S&P 500) are up ~100%[1] and real personal (not household) income is up 150%[2]. It should go without saying that a large part of the rise in profits is attributable to the rise of tech. It shouldn't surprise any…

> Regardless, expanding margins is only attractive up to a certain point. The higher your margins, the more attractive your market becomes to would-be competitors. This does not make sense to me. While a higher profit margin is a signal to others that they can earn money by selling equivalent goods and services at lower prices, it is not inevitable that they will be able to. And even if they are, it behooves a seller…

The premise wasn't that there weren't competitors already, I don't think. With most things the price is (usually) floored by the cost of production, ceilinged by the value it provides people, and then competition is what moves it from the latter to closer to the former.
Post reply on HN