Converting to a for-profit model would undermine the company's founding mission to ensure AGI "benefits all of humanity," argues new letter

This is the full text of a post from Obsolete, a Substack that I write about the intersection of capitalism, geopolitics, and artificial intelligence. I’m a freelance journalist and the author of a forthcoming book called Obsolete: Power, Profit, and the Race to Build Machine Superintelligence. Consider subscribing to stay up to date with my work.

Don’t become a for-profit.

That's the blunt message of a recent letter signed by more than 30 people, including former OpenAI employees, prominent civil-society leaders, legal scholars, and Nobel laureates, including AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton and former World Bank chief economist Joseph Stiglitz.

Obsolete obtained the 25-page letter, which was sent last Thursday to the attorneys general (AGs) of California and Delaware, two officials with the power to block the deal.

Made [...]

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Outline:

(00:13) Converting to a for-profit model would undermine the companys founding mission to ensure AGI benefits all of humanity, argues new letter

(02:10) Nonprofit origins

(05:16) Nobel opposition

(06:32) Contradictions

(09:18) Justifications

(12:22) No sale price can compensate

(13:55) An institutional test

(15:42) Appendix: Quotes from OpenAI's leaders over the years

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First published:
April 23rd, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/rN8tHAJnRYgN7hfoF/openai-alums-nobel-laureates-urge-regulators-to-save-company

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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Images from the article:

Nobel Prize 2024 announcement panel at Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

A comparison table showing governance safeguards under current and proposed restructuring.

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“OpenAI Alums, Nobel Laureates Urge Regulators to Save Company’s Nonprofit Structure” by garrison

LessWrong (30+ Karma)

“OpenAI Alums, Nobel Laureates Urge Regulators to Save Company’s Nonprofit Structure” by garrison