Chatgpt: Openai refuses to become a for -profit business – “we don’t want to be a normal business”
Sam Altman locks Openai under non -profit status. © Shutershock
After months of negotiations and a turn started towards a classic capitalist structure, Openai reverse. Sam Altman, its managing director, announces that the company will remain under the control of its non -profit branch, despite the promises of billions of investments. The company now relies on a hybrid form: a commercial company subject to a mission of general interest, under strict control of the original board of directors.
OPENAI remains non -profit: an ethical choice in a voracious industry
The story could have changed. Facing The growing appetite of investors – And to the very supported interest of a certain Elon Musk – Openai was on the way to becoming a for -profit society. The stakes were in size: attract billions to develop ever more efficient AI models, at the risk of eroding the ethical safeguards which had presided over the birth of Openai in 2015.
“Openai is not a normal company and will never be”he said in a letter made public on May 5. Before detailing: “We made the decision for the non -profit to stay in control after hearing civic leaders and discussed with the California and Delaware general prosecutors.”
The message is clear: despite lusts and financial pressure, Openai will not give in his governance. In place of a classic capitalist model, the company will opt for a hybrid structure. His commercial arm will become a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), or an American legal entity which makes it possible to make profits … while respecting a clearly defined social mission.
We have made the decision to remain a non -profit company after listening to civil society leaders.
“This new structure will have to take into account both the interests of shareholders and the mission”specifies Bret Taylor, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Openai. Above all, the PBC council will be designated by the non -profit organization – guaranteeing continuity of ideological and strategic control.
Openai defends its non -profit model in the face of billions of softbank and musk
“Openai is not for sale”, Sam Altman in Elon Musk © Shutershock
This turnaround is not trivial. He then intervenes that Optai negotiates a fundraising of $ 40 billion, an absolute record for an unlisted company. Among investors, Softbankwhich initially conditioned its contribution to a capitalist conversion, could review its contribution to the decline – 20 billion instead of 30 according to certain clauses.
We do not want to be a normal business, and we believe that this model is more than enough to be able to raise funds.
As for Elon Musk, who had offered a pure and simple redemptionAltman’s response was scathing: “Openai is not for sale.” The message is clear: structural independence remains a priority, despite the astronomical sums at stake.
In the new assembly, Openai will continue to generate income via its commercial branch, but the whole will remain under the supervision of a non -profit board of directors. “This model will allow us to continue to make rapid and safe progress and give everyone access to an efficient AI”concludes Altman. A risky bet, but perhaps salutary in an industry that advances your eyes on turnover, often to the detriment of the common good.
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