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Elon Musk Tried Taking Over OpenAI In 2018

Summary:

  • According to a report Elon Musk allegedly attempted to take over OpenAI in 2018, but his offer was rejected.
  • Following his departure from the board and his failure to provide the promised $1 billion in funding, OpenAI sought funding elsewhere and formed a for-profit division, which explains its shift towards catering to corporate interests.
  • Experts are concerned about where the constant upgrades and new AI products from Microsoft and OpenAI could lead.

 

Elon Musk had allegedly tried to take over OpenAI in 2018, according to a report by The Verge citing Semafor. The tech billionaire failed in his bid and sparked a monumental shift in the company’s model.

 

Apparently, long before many of us came to know about ChatGPT and DALL-E, the Tesla boss had attempted to take over the company building these AI products.

 

The story goes that Elon Musk was part of the early investors who took interest in the project during its formative period in 2015. At the time, it was a non-profit AI lab with the intention of using its research to improve society.

 

However, Musk became worried that Google may beat the team to achieve its aim and he offered to start running the company in 2018. Founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman resisted, rejecting his offer.

 

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Then, not long after, Elon Musk left the company’s board in 2018, saying that it was clashing with his duties as Tesla CEO and other companies he was running. He also went back on his word of providing a funding of up to $1 billion, eventually giving only $100 million.

 

It appears that Elon Musk departure forced OpenAI to seek funding elsewhere, and Microsoft came knocking with the exclusivity license deal and billions in funding. This drastic change explains why the company formed a for-profit division focused on funding the research work and paying back investors.

 

While there is no confirmation from both parties yet as to what transpired, it is glaring that OpenAI did not start out to cater to corporate interest. Even Elon Musk recent tweet about the company gives a hint of uneasiness about the choice.

 

 

With AI products dropping every other day at Microsoft and OpenAI adding new features and upgrades to ChatGPT without the previous patience it showed, many experts are concerned about where it could all end up.

 

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Onwuasoanya Obinna

A reader of books and stringer of words. Passionate about Science and Tech. When not writing or reading he is surfing the web and Tweeting.