OpenAI continues to attract significant investment, including from Microsoft. This new funding round values OpenAI at $157 billion, positioning it alongside Goldman Sachs.
Valuation and Impact
With this valuation, OpenAI has become one of the most valuable startups globally. The company plans to maintain its leadership in AI research and accelerate future projects.
Transition to Profit-Driven Model
CEO Sam Altman is restructuring OpenAI to transform it into a profit-driven organization. This shift has caused unease among employees and critics. Notably, Elon Musk, a co-founder who left in 2018, argues that OpenAI has strayed from its original mission. He believes the company should focus on beneficial AI for humanity.
Key Investors
Other significant investors include Thrive Capital, SoftBank, Nvidia, and Microsoft. However, these investors retain the right to withdraw funding if the profit-driven transition fails.
User Base and Financial Outlook
OpenAI reports having 250 million active users and over one million paying business customers. The company anticipates an annual revenue of $3.6 billion. However, it is projected to incur losses exceeding $5 billion.
Internal Tensions and Management Changes
The pressure for rapid innovation has created tension between research teams and commercialization efforts. Recently, several high-level executives have resigned. Since Altman was briefly removed as CEO last November, Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever has also left. Last week, longtime CTO Mira Murati stated she made a “difficult decision” to resign after much consideration.
Source: BBC
