At the end of 2024, OpenAI announces a major change in its corporate structure, marking a decisive turning point in the history of the famous artificial intelligence company. This structural evolution raises important questions about the balance between technological innovation and philanthropic mission, a debate that interests the entire tech industry. OpenAI is becoming a company like any other, even though it promised this would never happen.
A new structure for new ambitions
OpenAI plans to become a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC), an American legal structure that reconciles profit and the public interest. This transformation aims to give more control to the commercial arm of the company, while maintaining its original mission: to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity.
The non-profit part of OpenAI will retain a significant stake in the company, but will lose its direct oversight role. In return, she will receive shares in the PBC “at a fair value determined by independent financial advisors”, which would make it “one of the best endowed non-profit organizations in history”, according to the company .
Notable challenges and oppositions
This transformation is not unanimous in Silicon Valley. Elon Musk, the original co-founder of OpenAI, filed an injunction to block this transition, accusing the company of abandoning its original philanthropic mission. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, also took a stand against the change, arguing to California’s attorney general that it could have “seismic implications for Silicon Valley.”
The case of OpenAI recalls the debates that have surrounded other tech giants, such as Apple, which must constantly balance their commercial objectives with their social responsibility. Moreover, Apple, which is developing its own AI technologies, is carefully observing this transformation which could influence its future strategies in the field. The collaboration with the integration of ChatGPT within Apple Intelligence could take another turn as OpenAI will need to generate revenue.
The colossal financial challenges
This structural evolution is largely driven by growing financial needs. OpenAI estimates it needs hundreds of billions of dollars to continue its development, particularly in the context of an intensifying AI race. For example, we know that the company is having difficulty making progress on its future large GPT-5 model, and that each training session costs it no less than 500 million dollars. According to CNBC, the company is forecasting losses of $5 billion this year, despite a valuation reaching $157 billion following its latest fundraising of $6.6 billion.
For Apple and other major tech players, this transformation of OpenAI perfectly illustrates the challenges facing the AI industry: how to finance the development of ever more sophisticated technologies while preserving an ethical and societal mission? Especially when you don’t really sell a product, like OpenAI.
See you in 2025 to find out if this choice pays off. And why not an IPO one day?
