OpenAI CEO hopes to transform the company into a for-profit entity, with Microsoft as its biggest obstacle
ChainCatcher news, according to Jinshi reports, The Information disclosed that OpenAI CEO Altman hopes to transform this non-profit managed artificial intelligence development company into a for-profit entity, and the biggest obstacle he faces is Microsoft. The company's influence in this process is immense, as it has committed over $13 billion to OpenAI.
Since last October, the two companies have been negotiating potential changes to OpenAI's structure, focusing mainly on four aspects:
- Microsoft's equity in the for-profit entity;
- Whether Microsoft will continue as OpenAI's exclusive cloud service provider;
- How long Microsoft will maintain the right to use OpenAI's intellectual property to meet its product needs;
- Whether Microsoft will continue to take 20% of OpenAI's revenue.
It is currently unclear when OpenAI and Microsoft plan to complete this process, but both parties are moving quickly and facing time pressure: if OpenAI fails to complete the transition within the next two years, recently funded investors can reclaim their money, along with 9% interest—totaling about $7.2 billion. Company leadership has informed employees that OpenAI hopes to buy back some of their shares after the transition to profitability, so employees currently have ample reason to hope for a swift completion of this transformation.
