The buzzy artificial intelligence company OpenAI’s executive team spent a whole meeting, weeks before ChatGPT launched in November 2022, discussing whether or not to even release the tool.
Brad Lightcap, COO of OpenAI, told CNBC, “It was a debate – people were not 100% sure that this was going to be the right thing to do or something worth our time. If you know Sam [Altman], he likes to cycle through topics at a high rate, so the fact that we spent this much time on one topic meant it was important.”
At the time, OpenAI primarily saw itself as a firm that developed tools for developers and enterprises, according to Lightcap, and it had a restricted capacity and number of GPUs. He reminded us that CEO Altman was a strong believer in “simply trying it,” arguing that text-based contact with the models had a significant and intimate quality.
It was a wise decision. With over 100 million weekly active users and over 92% of Fortune 500 organisations using the platform, ChatGPT shattered records as the fastest-growing consumer app in history, according to OpenAI. PitchBook claims that Microsoft’s extra $10 billion investment in the firm earlier this year made it the largest AI investment of the year. OpenAI is supposedly in discussions to finalise a transaction of $86 billion.
However, these achievements have recently taken a backseat to a wild few weeks at the organisation. After Altman was removed by OpenAI’s board last month, there was a backlash from investors, notably Microsoft, and resignations or threats of resignations from almost every employee of the company, including an open letter. Altman returned to the organisation within a week. Adam D’Angelo, the CEO of Quora, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor were among the new board members revealed by OpenAI on Wednesday. Microsoft secured a seat as a non-voting observer on the board.
Source (CNBC)
