The amount of cash that Microsoft has paid to OpenAI is relatively small, much less than the $13B number that gets thrown around.
And I'm sure they're getting their money's worth. E.g. the last time I heard or thought of Bing (outside of the ChatGPT context) was years ago. Now I see it all the time. That's worth $$$$$ to them.
Microsoft owns the GPUs and has rights to continue operating current models. The only value OpenAI had was cohesion of engineering talent as it relates to model development velocity.
> Only a fraction of Microsoft’s $10 billion investment in OpenAI has been wired to the startup, while a significant portion of the funding, divided into tranches, is in the form of cloud compute purchases instead of cash, according to people familiar with their agreement.
> That gives the software giant significant leverage as it sorts through the fallout from the ouster of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The firm’s board said on Friday that it had lost confidence in his ability to lead, without giving additional details.
> One person familiar with the matter said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella believes OpenAI’s directors mishandled Altman’s firing and the action has destabilized a key partner for the company. It’s unclear if OpenAI, which has been racking up expenses as it goes on a hiring spree and pours resources into technological developments, violated its contract with Microsoft by suddenly ousting Altman.
> Microsoft has certain rights to OpenAI’s intellectual property so if their relationship were to break down, Microsoft would still be able to run OpenAI’s current models on its servers.
To the people running OpenAI? I suppose in the same way you’d invest in a developing country where your investment was always at risk of a dictator saying you were no longer an investor. Just hire OpenAI engineers away and buy stability. Let the board try to make a better offer with no resources of their own. I do not doubt there is a small cohort who drinks the aligned safety koolaid; for everyone else, there is cash and equity.
ChatGPT Plus was never intended to be OpenAI's main revenue stream. The real cash is in the GPT API, which they're currently making good money on, but which also directly competes with a GPT API offered by Azure.
OP might have a point: if OpenAI declines, devs might prefer the Azure API over the OpenAI API for factors like stability, quality, response time, better integration with existing Azure stack, etc.
MS has already gotten a lot out of OpenAI... who knows, the next steps could be OpenAI focusing more on R&D and not products like a good non-profit. ChatGPT is handed over to MS and merged into Bing. Anything could happen.
