By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-09-26 02:07:51 | Updated at 2024-09-30 17:17:09
4 days ago
OpenAI is discussing giving chief executive officer Sam Altman a 7 per cent equity stake in the company and restructuring to become a for-profit business, people familiar with the matter said, a major shift that would mark the first time Altman is granted ownership in the artificial intelligence (AI) start-up.
The company is considering becoming a public benefit corporation, tasked with turning a profit and also helping society, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is private. The transition is still under discussion and a timeline has not been determined, one of the people said.
In a statement, a spokesperson said OpenAI remains “focused on building AI that benefits everyone”, adding, “the non-profit [nature] is core to our mission and will continue to exist”.
OpenAI is mulling these changes against the backdrop of an exodus of senior managers. Mira Murati said on Wednesday she is leaving, a surprise move that marks the latest high-profile departure from the start-up. In the months after it suddenly fired and then rehired Altman last year, OpenAI has been in a state of flux – losing multiple managers and shifting the structure of some of its teams.
