A lawsuit involving the world’s richest man and a rapidly growing company has brought to light a series of emails exchanged between Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and others during the early days of OpenAI. These emails, although not giving the full picture, provide some interesting insights into the dynamics within the company.
One of the most intriguing emails came from former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, expressing concerns about Musk’s potential control over the company and its implications for the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Sutskever feared that Musk’s desire for absolute control could lead to a situation where he becomes a dictator within the company, jeopardizing the goal of creating a positive future and preventing an AGI dictatorship.
Sutskever also raised questions about Altman’s motivations, suggesting that his focus may have been more on business than on the philosophical goals of OpenAI. This is evident in the company’s shift towards a more traditional enterprise SaaS position under Altman’s leadership.
Interestingly, in 2017, OpenAI was considering acquiring chipmaker Cerebras, possibly with the involvement of Tesla’s resources. However, this merger did not materialize, and the reasons for this decision are not disclosed in the emails.
At one point, Musk envisioned OpenAI as part of his larger business empire, with the potential for Tesla to serve as a financial backbone for the company. However, this plan did not come to fruition, as Tesla’s self-driving technology faced challenges that hindered its revenue potential.
Regarding financial partnerships, Microsoft offered OpenAI $60 million worth of compute on Azure in 2016, but the deal was not finalized due to concerns about corporate entanglements. Ultimately, a more flexible agreement was reached, without any obligations for either party.
In a minor revelation, it was mentioned that Valve founder Gabe Newell was involved in OpenAI as a donor and part of Altman and Brockman’s advisory board. The extent of his involvement in the company’s operations remains unclear.
Overall, the uncovered emails provide a glimpse into the complex relationships and strategic decisions that shaped OpenAI during its formative years, shedding light on the challenges and aspirations of the company’s leadership.
