Drama engulfed the Artificial Intelligence (AI) industry over the past two weeks. Industry darling OpenAI ousted its founder and visionary Sam Altman. The firing shocked everyone. Including Microsoft, which poured more than $3 billion dollars into the organization.
In case you don’t know, OpenAI owns ChatGPT. ChatGPT is a large language learning model. Also known as an AI chatbot, GPT is the fastest growing piece of software in history. No wonder OpenAI is now valued at nearly $30 billion.
Sam Altman helped make OpenAI what it is. Indeed, many consider him an AI visionary. Many respect his balanced take on AI as well. He openly acknowledges AI’s potential problems. Those problems inspired him to create a non-profit to develop AI. OpenAI is that non-profit organization. Because of his role and perspective, Altman enjoys world-wide recognition. He has spoken nearly everywhere in the world. And the world regards him as the face of AI.
So what happened?
Despite his credibility, OpenAI’s board lost confidence in Altman. No one can explain why. But rumors suggest the board believed he wasn’t the guy to create AI for the world. Even though Altman spoke exhaustively that AI should be developed in that way.
“Drama” describes best what happened next. That’s because, days after his ouster, Microsoft hired him. The board’s move outraged the software giant. Microsoft happens to be OpenAI’s biggest funder. But the nonprofit’s structure gives Microsoft no leverage over OpenAI.
So Microsoft planned to re-create all that Altman created at OpenAI in a new company.
But then something else happened. Over 700 OpenAI employees threatened to quit the company. OpenAI only has 730 people working there! Then, in a bizarre twist, the board member responsible for tipping the board into firing Altman also threatened to quit. That’s right, he changed his mind!
Responding to pressure from everywhere, the board reversed itself. Altman is expected to return to OpenAI as its CEO.
History repeats itself
OpenAI’s drama illustrates why Copiosis will not have a group of people running things. We’re talking about the implementation organization. Not the innovation running civilization. What happened with Altman has happened so many times. A board thinks it knows better than the visionary. It kicks the visionary to the curb. Then things go to hell.
That’s what happened with Apple. The board fired Steve Jobs. While gone he founded Pixar, and NeXT. Meanwhile, Apple foundered. To save itself, it acquired NeXT and rehired Jobs.
Sound familiar?
We’re not going to make the same mistake. Our leadership is sound. No one knows what we’re doing better than those doing it. And the Source from which that knowing flows, flows with greater clarity every day.
Copiosis is in good hands. It doesn’t need a group overseeing what those hands are doing.