“Report: Apple and OpenAI Have Signed a Deal to Partner on AI”, 2024-05-30 ():
Apple and OpenAI have successfully made a deal to include OpenAI’s generative AI technology in Apple’s software, according to The Information, which cites a source who has spoken to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman about the deal. It was previously reported by Bloomberg that the deal was in the works. The news appeared in a longer article about Altman and his growing influence within the company.
“Now, [Altman] has fulfilled a longtime goal by striking a deal with Apple to use OpenAI’s conversational artificial intelligence in its products, which could be worth billions of dollars to the startup if it goes well”, according to The Information’s source.
…The Apple deal is one of the many wins the report says help solidify the position of Altman within OpenAI, even after he faced an attempted ouster a while back.
Another is a change to OpenAI’s structure as a corporation. OpenAI has an unusual structure, with a for-profit corporation beholden to a nonprofit organization. The Information claims that Altman and his allies are seeking to convert it into either a traditional for-profit corporation or a benefit corporation known as a B-Corp. B-Corps allow corporations to have additional goals beyond shareholder interest, protecting them from certain kinds of shareholder lawsuits if they act for reasons beyond profits. There is a certification process for B-Corps by an independent organization, though it has been criticized in the past.
A B-Corp could be a middle ground between OpenAI’s current structure and that of a full for-profit.