Ever feel like you’re only getting bits and pieces about what’s really going on inside OpenAI? You know, how they went from a nonprofit research lab to this AI giant everyone’s buzzing about? It’s a wild ride, and sometimes it’s tough to see the full picture.
Well, hold onto your hats! There’s this awesome new interactive report called The OpenAI Files, and it’s a game-changer for understanding their journey. Think of it as the most comprehensive collection yet, pulling together all that public info into one place.
So, what’s packed into this thing?
It’s a massive effort. We’re talking over 50 pages and 10,000 words! It’s a collaboration between The Midas Project and the Tech Oversight Project, two nonprofit tech watchdogs. They’ve gathered:
- Corporate disclosures
- Legal complaints and open letters
- Media reports (all those stories you might’ve seen, but now connected!)
- Charts and visuals to help break down OpenAI’s structure, its original profit plans, and even proposed restructures.
Why should you care? What’s the scoop?
This report really digs into some fascinating areas:
Evolution & Governance: It chronicles OpenAI’s shift and looks hard at its governance practices, leadership integrity, and even its organizational culture.
Potential Conflicts: A big focus is how much OpenAI execs and board members, especially CEO Sam Altman, might personally gain from the company’s successes. They even try to map out Altman’s investment portfolio (think companies like Helion Energy, Reddit, Stripe) and how they might overlap with OpenAI’s business.
Then vs. Now: One of the main points, according to Tyler Johnston who led the research, is showing the departure from their original vision. He emphasized:
the ways in which the vision that they had in the late 2010s departed from the way that they’re behaving today.
They’re basically laying out the info so you can see what’s changed and draw your own conclusions.
The Bottom Line & Where to Get It
These folks state they’re an “archival project” and received no funding or direction from any OpenAI competitors, ensuring editorial independence. OpenAI itself declined to comment on the report.
If you’re curious to understand the machine behind the magic, this is your chance to dive deep. You can check out The OpenAI Files for yourself at OpenAIFiles.org. Go see what you think!