Joel Saget/Getty Images; Jenny Chang-Rodriguez/BI
OpenAI’s shakeup is occurring as the AI race comes into focus.
Some of OpenAI’s biggest competitors — Alphabet, Amazon, Meta — also happen to be among the most valuable companies in the world. And with the high cost of AI development — from the hardware to the talent — having deep pockets matters.
So it’s no surprise that OpenAI would want to make itself as attractive as possible to potential investors to ensure the cash keeps flowing in. According to Reuters, which broke the news, OpenAI’s new structure would resemble how rival startups Anthropic and Elon Musk’s xAI are set up. (Musk, by the way, was happy to take a jab at Altman over the latest executive exits.)
But considering OpenAI was built on the premise investors wouldn’t influence it, the move will likely still raise eyebrows. Altman, for his part, responded to a question in Congress about his lack of equity back in 2023 by saying he was “doing this because I love it.”
Of course, wanting to profit from your work isn’t a crime. But OpenAI’s pivot is another example of how what it presents to the public doesn’t always seem to jive with what it looks to do in private.