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[return to "OpenAI staff threaten to quit unless board resigns"]
1. boh+Fi[view] [source] 2023-11-20 14:46:25
>>skille+(OP)
There can exist an inherent delusion within elements of a company, that if left unchallenged, can persist. An agreement for instance, can seem airtight because it's never challenged, but falls apart in court. The OpenAI fallacy was that non-profit principals were guiding the success of the firm, and when the board decided to test that theory, it broke the whole delusion. Had it not fully challenged Altman, the board could've kept the delusion intact long enough to potentially pressure Altman to limit his side-projects or be less profit minded, since Altman would have an interest to keep the delusion intact as well. Now the cat is out of the bag, and people no longer believe that a non-profit who can act at will is a trusted vehicle for the future.
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2. bnralt+ns[view] [source] 2023-11-20 15:46:05
>>boh+Fi
> Now the cat is out of the bag, and people no longer believe that a non-profit who can act at will is a trusted vehicle for the future.

And maybe it’s not. The big mistake people make is hearing non-profit and think it means there’s a greater amount of morality. It’s the same mistake as assuming everyone who is religious is therefore more moral (worth pointing out that religions are nonprofits as well).

Most hospitals are nonprofits, yet they still make substantial profits and overcharge customers. People are still people, and still have motives; they don't suddenly become more moral when they join a non-prof board. In many ways, removing a motive that has the most direct connection to quantifiable results (profit) can actually make things worse. Anyone who has seen how nonprofits work know how dysfunctional they can be.

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3. vel0ci+dD[view] [source] 2023-11-20 16:44:45
>>bnralt+ns
> Most hospitals are nonprofits, yet they still make substantial profits and overcharge customers.

They don't make large profits otherwise they wouldn't be nonprofits. They do have massive revenues and will find ways to spend the money they receive or hoard it internally as much as they can. There are lots of games they can play with the money, but experiencing profits is one thing they can't do.

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4. bnralt+CF[view] [source] 2023-11-20 16:56:07
>>vel0ci+dD
> They don't make large profits otherwise they wouldn't be nonprofits.

This is a common misunderstanding. Non-profits/501(c)(3) can and often do make profits. 7 of the 10 most profitable hospitals in the U.S. are non-profits[1]. Non-profits can't funnel profits directly back to owners, the way other corporations can (such as when dividends are distributed). But they still make profits.

But that's besides the point. Even in places that don't make profits, there are still plenty of personal interests at play.

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/opinion/nonprofit-hospita...

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5. bbor+6L[view] [source] 2023-11-20 17:14:38
>>bnralt+CF
This seems like pedantics…? Yes, they technically make a profit, in that they bring in more money in revenue than they spent in expenditures. But it’s not going towards yachts, it’s going toward hospital supplies. Your comment seems to be using the word “profit” to imply a false equivalency
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6. scythe+ZO[view] [source] 2023-11-20 17:26:10
>>bbor+6L
Understanding the particular meaning of each balance-sheet category is hardly pedantry at the level of business management. It's like knowing what the controls do when you're driving a car.

Profit is money that ends up in the bank to be used later. Compensation is what gets spent on yachts. Anything spent on hospital supplies is an expense. This stuff matters.

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