Technology is the new religion and Musk/Altman are the new messiahs, with Jobs and Gates as the patron saints.
In the right corner the company that created and still completely controls GPT-4.
Why are you so sure about who wins this face off?
People who want to get paid or are loyal to Sam will follow Sam. Microsoft is clearly behind Sam. "Whoever holds the gold makes the rules."
EDIT: gkoberger said it far better, and captures the value beyond the physical and fiat components of the power struggle: >>38337782
"I don't think he's on his own. All those people he helped in the past have come out to support him. Almost his entire company (minus the board) has publicly supported him. His team is currently hosting him at the office with hopes to reinstate him. The CEO who temporarily replaced him has publicly and privately supported his return. OpenAI's investors are backing him. His cofounder quit in solidarity.
Turns out the secret to getting through something like this is to simply have spent the past 15+ years genuinely helping everyone you've ever come across."
It's not a comparison of personal talent.
It's simply the best known case of a highly visible CEO of a popular, groundbreaking company being ousted by the board.
So the comparison is natural. Apple and OpenAI are definitely similarly groundbreaking companies in the eye of the consumer.
The idea that Microsoft is somehow the one irreplaceable part of this formula is completely fucking bizzare.
But you might want to question why you’re so sure that’s the case. People talk about that a lot but it’s pretty rare to actually see that happen.
The usual way things like this go is most people go huh how about that and go back to work at their job the next day and think about their family and weekend plans.
In his case it’s especially odd given his oddly thin track record of actual success. He seems incredibly good at ingratiating himself with extremely powerful people, but there’s no evidence at all of him being a popular leader or particularly good at building and executing on anything.
Ask yourself how he got his last two jobs. He wasn’t exactly voted in due to widespread popular support.
In both cases however he departed abruptly amidst what looks like interpersonal conflict.
The opposite of cult worship is NOT cult antipathy.
Without its exclusive relationship to Microsoft, there are other people with access to money and compute that would like a leg up in the enterprise AI space that Microsoft would be taking a major, even if (optimistically) temporary, step back from its leading position in by terminating its relationship with OpenAI.
I feel like everyone should be forced to watch a few Game of Thrones episodes before commenting. Organizations act in their own self interest. Leaders are convinced they’re irreplaceable all the way to the gallows steps.
If Sam can sabotage OpenAI or if the remaining people can’t capably run the organization then sure people will walk away. But if they keep things from falling apart nobody is going to give a fuck.
He seems slimy as hell and I’m giving Ilya the benefit of the doubt.
Difference here is OpenAI is not Google or FB with tens of thousands of employees bulk of which are engineers most likely not be able to get current level of compensation in case of mass layoff/resignations. OpenAI is couple of hundred people and are highly rated due to perceived level of success. So it is opposite of risk to follow the leader who has gotten them high level of compensation so far.
> He seems incredibly good at ingratiating himself with extremely powerful people
You seem to think it is negative. For most people including OpenAI employees it is great advantage to be working for/with him.
As organized religion recedes, people fill the vacuum with gods of their own making.