Kevin Scott’s Post

NASDAQ: MSFT Representative Josh Gottheimer purchased $25 million of call options. Did you know he used to work for Microsoft? He was the Deputy Director of Advertising & Strategy reporting directly to the CEO, Steve Ballmer. Gottheimer also sits on the Committee for Financial Services, Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship and Capital Markets, Subcommittees of National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy. Kevin Hern, Congressman from Oklahoma sold $5 million just before Microsoft announced layoffs. In January of 2023 Microsoft announced the third phase of their long-term partnership with OpenAI through a multiyear, multibillion dollar investment to accelerate AI breakthroughs to ensure these benefits are broadly shared with the world. This agreement follows their previous investments in 2019 and 2021. It extends their ongoing collaboration across AI supercomputing and research and enables each of us to independently commercialize the resulting advanced AI technologies. These innovations have captured imaginations and introduced large-scale AI as a powerful, general-purpose technology platform that they believe will create transformative impact at the magnitude of the personal computer, the internet, mobile devices and the cloud. Microsoft is extending its long-term partnership with OpenAI through a new “multiyear, multibillion dollar investment.” Microsoft invested $10 billion into OpenAI, the creators of popular AI tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E 2. January, Microsoft has surpassed Apple to become the world’s most valuable company for the first time in 2 years. #microsoft #openai #azure #congress #insidertrading

As usual Nicholas Thompson does a great job of summarising the most interesting thing in tech - the ongoing OpenAI debacle. Some of my thoughts: Is this just a case of all PR is good PR? Feels a bit too extreme for that to be the case? Was Sam A just getting too close to MS and the commercialisation side of this? Which explains why he had an offer from MS very quickly (likely to be something that Satya has run by him in the past - i.e. if you ever wanted to leave OAI we'd find you a spot here...) Have they really discovered AGI and that's what this is all about? Unlikely in my view unless GPT5 is a significant shift in architecture from GPT4 with other models / components in addition to the supposed aggregation of LLMs that 4 is. Not impossible but unlikely. Is life actually just a real life Netflix series (like the "Joan is Awful" episode of Black Mirror) that we are all just extras of - for beings in a higher dimension (I thought I'd throw out an even more wild conspiracy theory! ;-) Grab the popcorn it's going to be interesting to see how this unfolds. 🍿

Satya Nadella (CEO of Microsoft) undisputedly has made quick and excellent decision. Microsoft could have been the biggest loser of the situation. Now become the biggest winner. Frankly speaking now they can only win. What happened in the past very few and eventfull days: Nov. 17. (Fri):  OpenAI board fire Sam Altman. Greg Brockman (co-founder) quits. Microsoft (who invested $13B into OpenAI, and owns 49%) share price drop by 1.7% Nov. 18. (Sat):  What Sam Altman will do now? Gets picked up by Google, Amazon, Apple, at one of the biggest competitors of OpenAI? Nov. 19. (Sun): Satya Nadella announces that Sam Altman is joining Microsoft. Furthermore any OpenAI employees are welcome to join Sam's new team. Nov. 20. (Mon): OpenAI employees publish an open letter (below) saying that unless the board resigns they may resign / join Sam's new team at Microsoft. 650 of 770 employees have signed it. Microsoft’s share price jumps up by more than 2% . What will be the next chapter?

If only they had asked ChatGPT... P: Let's say I'm a member of the Open AI board. ChatGPT is doing very well. I'm thinking about firing Sam Altman, the CEO. What could possibly go wrong? A: If you're considering the dismissal of Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, as a hypothetical board member, here are potential consequences: - **Leadership Void:** His departure could create a temporary leadership vacuum, potentially slowing down decision-making and strategic initiatives.    - **Staff Morale:** Employee morale and confidence might be affected, especially if Altman is a respected leader within the organization. - **Public Perception:** The public and stakeholders might view this change negatively, leading to a loss of trust or credibility in OpenAI's stability and direction. - **Strategic Disruption:** Altman likely plays a key role in shaping OpenAI's vision and strategy. His removal could disrupt or alter the current strategic trajectory. - **Market Reaction:** Investors and partners might react unfavorably, impacting funding, partnerships, and market position. - **Legal and Financial Implications:** Contractual and severance considerations, along with potential legal challenges, could arise, leading to financial and reputational costs. - **Succession Challenges:** Finding a suitable replacement who aligns with OpenAI's culture and goals might be challenging and time-consuming. - **Internal Politics:** Internal power dynamics could shift, potentially leading to conflicts or uncertainty within the organization. - **Intellectual Loss:** Altman's insights and experience are valuable; losing them might impact innovation and future developments. - **External Relationships:** Relationships with external stakeholders, partners, and the AI community could be strained or altered. Each of these factors would need careful consideration before proceeding with such a significant decision.

Insightful take on the recent developments in the #openai saga. The story takes an unexpected turn, highlighting the evolving nature of the tech industry. I found it quite thought-provoking and wanted to share it with you all. Here's the link to the story for those interested in the latest advancements in technology.

OK. This is next level, never-seen-before CORPORATE DRAMA. 1. NO ONE has yet managed to find out why Sam Altman was fired. This is incredible given how the entire tech world is looking for answers. When will someone who was on that call finally talk? 2. The crazy twist is the guy who is said to have lead the coup has now switched sides. 3. Sam Altman & Greg Brockman's deal to join Microsoft is far from done. Satya Nadella mostly sought to preserve the stock. 4. Over 95% of OpenAI employees have signed the letter asking the board to resign and are threatening to leave OpenAI. 5. OpenAI’s board of directors approached Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic (OpenAI's key competitor) to discuss a potential merger after firing Altman. 6. Obviously (less exciting): investors are now mulling lawsuits against the OpenAI board. Let's see what the next 24h bring.

Interesting update to the #openai saga.

"middle finger emojis" - more employees should take this lead and use emojis to communicate when executives hire executives that do not have satisfactory backgrounds. Not that as CEO Shear was a bad choice (I donno), but he just wasn't who they wanted. And Microsoft swooped in and made Sam Altman an offer - I hope it was a mad offer too, the big bucks. Some place where I worked apparently no one did extensive research on a new global unit manager ("scrubbing through old tweets" for example) - he was so hated at the former company that the employees created a website to tell others how terrible he is. They still maintain the site today. (!!!) Then after a couple of years of ignoring his employees and having a BIG business idea that had already failed at many other firms, the company, having spent a fortune to find out how bad the idea was, let him go with yet another costly golden parachute. How is it that executives don't perform due diligence by looking around on the web? Do such people smell like roses? A fundamental truth is that companies and employees do better when the executives who manage the company actually care about them and work for their benefit as well. Soon digital natives will replace all executives, able to use the acumen of information technology in their toolkits. #ai #samaltman #microsoft #openai #emojis #votingbyemoji

The most interesting thing in tech: The #OpenAI saga continues. Here's what we know: Sam Altman has not actually fully committed to Microsoft. He might go there, he might not. The employees of the company are in a standoff against the board and their new CEO, who had a rough day. Ilya Sutskever, who apparently drove the firing of Altman, has flipped and switched sides. No one fully knows why the board fired Altman, and no one on the board is talking. This could be marvelous news for Microsoft. It could be a mess. Somehow, there's a good chance that a company that was worth $90b on Friday morning, and that created the most transformative technology in a generation, will have self-immolated by Thanksgiving. #mostinterestingthingintech

Given the events over the past few days at #OpenAI, we should all be able to gain some perspective. It's clear that the intersection of AI and ethical responsibility is more crucial now than ever. As we navigate the complexities of AI development, it's imperative to foster an environment of collaborative innovation. We need to balance technological advancement with ethical considerations, ensuring AI serves as a tool for positive change. Let's champion AI that not only pushes boundaries but also upholds our collective values. #EthicalAI #TechForGood