Being for the Benefit of OpenAI

The worst-kept secret of the past year in the world of tech has now been spelled out more explicitly by the company: OpenAI aims to restructure itself as a for-profit entity. Not only has basically every major news outlet reported on this shift over the past many months, the company itself hasn't really shied away from talking about it in public, albeit more indirectly. But as we enter 2025 – the 10 year anniversary of OpenAI – the company is now making it quite clear: it's for-profit or bust, perhaps quite literally.

The reason for those earlier indirect confirmations seemed pretty clear: given the high-profile nature of OpenAI, arguably the most-important company working in the most important field at the moment, everyone was always going to be up-in-arms with such a shift. On paper, the move from a non-profit to a for-profit has some real bait-and-switch vibes. And that's why the company has kept repeating over and over and over again that no matter what ultimate form the company takes, the non-profit will always be a part of the equation. And beyond the potential for bad press, there are very real legal matters involved in moving from a non-profit to a for-profit, as the latter entails certain promises made to the public – promises which would need to be altered, if not broken, to make such a shift.