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☆ OpenAI rival Anthropic launches its first smartphone app
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Shubhangi Goel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Anthropic has launched a mobile app for its AI chatbot, Claude. The app, a rival to OpenAI's ChatGPT, allows users to sync conversations and analyze photos. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementOpenAI rival Anthropic launched its first smartphone app on Wednesday, a mobile version of its artificial intelligence chatbot called Claude. Both of these features are available on rival ChatGPT.

Persons: Anthropic, Claude, OpenAI's, —, ChatGPT, Dario, Daniela Amodei, Andreessen Horowitz Organizations: Amazon, Google, Service, Union, Services, Microsoft, Sequoia Capital, K2 Locations: Canada, OpenAI

☆ Drone startup Zipline hits 1 million deliveries, looks to restaurants as it continues to grow
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Kate Rogers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Autonomous delivery drone startup Zipline said Friday that it hit its 1 millionth delivery to customers and that it's eyeing restaurant partnerships in its next phase of growth. The San Francisco-based startup designs, builds and operates autonomous delivery drones, working with clients that range from more than 4,700 hospitals including the Cleveland Clinic to major brands such as Walmart and GNC. The company said its zero-emission drones have now flown more than 70 million autonomous commercial miles across four continents and delivered more than 10 million products. The push into restaurant partnerships marks an "obvious transition" he said, due to the continuing growth in interest in instant food delivery. Zipline deliveries for some Panera locations in Seattle are expected to begin next year, the Panera franchisee's chief operating officer Ron Bellamy told CNBC.

Persons: It's, Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, Rinaudo Cliffton, Ron Bellamy, I'm, Bellamy Organizations: Cleveland Clinic, Walmart, Sequoia Capital, a16z, Google Ventures, CNBC, Memorial Hermann Health Locations: San Francisco, Ghana, Seattle, Houston, Detroit

☆ New York is in, San Francisco is very much out for tech workers relocating
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Geoff Weiss | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

New York City gained the most relocating tech workers in 2023, SignalFire reports. AdvertisementNew York is continuing to gain on San Francisco as a rival tech hub. The greater New York City area drew the biggest share of relocating tech workers last year compared to any other major city in the US, according to a new SignalFire report. The most common move for tech workers in the San Francisco Bay Area was to New York, the report found. AdvertisementMeanwhile, SignalFire found that the San Francisco Bay area actually saw its tech pool shrink by the largest percentage last year.

Persons: San Francisco, —, SignalFire Organizations: York City, San, Los Angeles, Service, Big Apple, Austin, CNBC, Sequoia Capital, Nvidia, SF Bay Area Locations: York, Austin, Francisco, New York City, San Francisco Bay, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, San Francisco, California, San, Santa Clara , California, West, San Jose , California

☆ Former Amazon Robotics chief raises $100 million for his 35-person startup, pushing the valuation over $500 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Eugene Kim | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewAnother robotics startup has raised a large amount of money, signaling a rebound in investor appetite in the space. Collaborative Robotics, an automation startup founded by former Amazon Robotics chief Brad Porter, just raised $100 million in a round led by General Catalyst. The latest round values Collaborative Robotics at more than $500 million, Porter told Business Insider. Founded in 2022, Collaborative Robotics has 35 employees and deployed its first product earlier this year. Mayo Clinic, which also invested in Collaborative Robotics, is one of the early customers, he added.

Persons: —, Brad Porter, General Catalyst, Porter, hasn't, Pitchbook, There's Organizations: Service, Robotics, Amazon Robotics, General, Bison Ventures, Industry Ventures, Lux Capital, Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures, Business, Physical Intelligence, Mayo Clinic, Venture

☆ The U.S. Investors Caught in the Scrum Over TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Lauren Hirsch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For years, the U.S. investors who backed ByteDance, the Chinese internet company that owns TikTok, have wrestled with the complexities of owning a piece of a geopolitically fraught social media app. A bill to force ByteDance to sell TikTok is winding its way through the Senate after sailing through the House this month. In December, a Missouri pension board voted to divest from some Chinese investments, following political pressure from the state treasurer. The Beijing-based company has grown into one of the world’s most highly valued start-ups, worth $225 billion, according to CB Insights. That’s a boon, at least on paper, for U.S. investors who put money into ByteDance when it was a smaller company.

Persons: it’s, ByteDance, Biden Organizations: Senate, General Atlantic, Susquehanna International Group, Sequoia Capital, Administration, U.S Locations: U.S, China, Missouri, Florida, Beijing, ByteDance

☆ Inside a C.E.O.’s Bold Claims About Her Hot Fintech Start-Up
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Erin Griffith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ms. Yahyaoui’s compelling background helped her stand out among entrepreneurs when she moved in 2018 to San Francisco, where she founded a student aid start-up called Mos. The app hit the top of Apple’s App Store and Ms. Yahyaoui raised $56 million from high-profile investors, including Sequoia Capital, John Doerr and Steph Curry, according to PitchBook, which tracks start-ups. In podcasts, TV interviews and other media, Ms. Yahyaoui, 39, frequently discussed Mos’s success. But internal company data viewed by The New York Times showed that as of early last year, only about 30,000 customers had paid for Mos’s student aid services. Less than 10 percent of Mos’s roughly 153,000 bank users had put their own money into their accounts, the data showed.

Persons: Amira Yahyaoui, Yahyaoui, John Doerr, Steph Curry, Mos Organizations: Sequoia Capital, The New York Times, TechCrunch Locations: Tunisian, Algerian, San Francisco

☆ HongShan split from Sequoia last year as US-China relations worsened. Now, it's eyeing up Europe.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-19 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Last June, storied investor Sequoia Capital announced it was to split itself into three separate entities. Sequoia Capital would look after the US and Europe; Peak XV Partners would manage its investments in India; and HongShan Capital would be based in China. The emergence of HongShan as an active investor in Europe would result in the firm "competing with former family," one source said. The expansion could be aimed at attracting businesses that target the Chinese market or companies set up by Chinese entrepreneurs away from home, the FT said, citing sources who had spoken with Shen. HongShan Capital's most recent fund includes LPs such as CalPERS, the University of Texas Investment Management Company, and the University of Washington endowment.

Persons: HongShan, Neil Shen, Shen Organizations: Sequoia Capital, YouTube, Sequoia, Partners, HongShan, Business, United, Strategic, University of Texas Investment Management Company, University of Washington Locations: China, Europe, India, London, Singapore, Asia

☆ Some wealthy people lost millions in the FTX collapse. But others say they've lost their entire life savings.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The memo includes statements from victims who say their lives have been upended by the FTX collapse. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . At the time of the collapse, FTX's bankruptcy filings said that the exchange could owe money to about one million creditors. If you lost money in the FTX collapse and would like to share your story, reach reporter Lloyd Lee at (646) 768-1630.

Persons: Sam Bankman, —, Tom Brady, Brady, Axios, Lloyd Lee Organizations: Service, Star NFL, Companies, Sequoia Capital Locations: Africa, FTX, Delaware

☆ In Silicon Valley, Venture Capital Meets a Generational Shift
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Erin Griffith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Reid Hoffman, a founder of LinkedIn and a longtime venture capitalist, is no longer the public face of the venture firm Greylock. Michael Moritz, a force at Sequoia Capital for 38 years, officially separated from the investment firm last summer. They are among the most recognizable of a generation of Silicon Valley investors who are getting out of venture capital at the end of a lucrative 15-year upswing for the industry. Investors at Tiger Global, Paradigm, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Emergence Capital and Spark Capital have all announced plans to step back. Foundry Group, a venture firm in Boulder, Colo., that has backed 200 companies since 2006, said in January that it would not raise another fund.

Persons: Reid Hoffman, Michael Moritz, Jeff Jordan, Andreessen Horowitz Organizations: LinkedIn, Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Spark, Foundry Group, Apple, Google Locations: Silicon, Boulder, Colo, —

☆ Cybersecurity startup Cyera is set to triple its valuation to as high as $1.55 billion in a new funding round, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Ben Bergman | Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Cyera is a cybersecurity startup founded in 2021 by two veterans of The Israel Defence Forces. It is raising funding that values the company at as much as $1.55 billion, three sources told BI. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementCyera, a New York-based data security startup founded in 2021, is raising a new funding round that values the company at as much as $1.55 billion, three sources familiar with the matter told Business Insider. The startup is raising $150 to $200 million in this latest round, according to multiple sources.

Persons: Douglas Leone, — Organizations: Israel Defence Forces, Sequoia Capital, Service, Accel, Business Locations: New York

☆ British neobank Monzo raises $430 million in Alphabet-led round to relaunch in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

British digital bank Monzo on Tuesday raised $430 million in fresh capital from investors to help it relaunch its services in the U.S.Monzo raised the money in a new funding round led by CapitalG, the independent venture arm of Google parent company Alphabet . HongShan, the Chinese venture capital firm that split from Sequoia Capital last year, also backed the round, alongside existing backers Tencent and Passion Capital. Monzo, which is one of the U.K.'s most popular app-only banks, said the fresh cash would be used to accelerate its expansion plans, including a renewed attempt at expanding its service to the U.S."With backing from global investors, we have the rocket fuel to go after our ambitions harder and faster, building Monzo into the one app that sits at the centre of our customers' financial lives," Monzo CEO TS Anil said in a statement. "Each milestone we've reached to this point has given us more strength and speed to make strides towards our mission — now we'll scale to even greater heights and seize the huge opportunity ahead."

Persons: Monzo, CapitalG, Tencent, Anil Organizations: Google, Sequoia Capital, Passion Locations: U.S

☆ Here's the playbook tech companies like AllTrails, Canva, and Kayak are using to dominate the charts in OpenAI's new GPT Store.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Samantha Stokes | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Its GPT, which generates images from text prompts, is currently ranked second overall on the GPT Store. And all three companies' GPTs have been highlighted at the top of the GPT Store website as "OpenAI's Picks." Advertisement"Sometimes finding trails can be overwhelming because there are so many different places to go," Graham told Business Insider. In addition to GPT Store, companies are thinking more broadly about how AI fits into their business models. "Now we're also investing time in using AI to make our team faster and more efficient, too."

Persons: —, OpenAI, Canva, Anwar Haneef, Matthias Keller, James Graham, Sam Altman, Graham, GPTs, Sam Altman's, Keller, we're, Haneef Organizations: Service, Business, Uber, Sequoia Capital Global, Bessemer Venture Partners, Greenoaks, Booking Holdings, OpenAI, Economic, Canva Locations: Davos, Canva, ChatGPT

☆ OpenAI valued at $80 billion following deal that allows staff to cash out their shares, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

OpenAI has been valued at $80 billion or more following a new deal, The New York Times reported. The deal allows staff to cash out their shares in the company, per the report. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementThe artificial intelligence (AI) firm OpenAI has completed a deal that valued the business at $80 billion or more, The New York Times reported on Friday, citing three unnamed people with knowledge of the deal. The deal allows OpenAI employees to cash out their shares in the company, the report added.

Persons: OpenAI, —, Andreessen Horowitz, Sam Altman, Sora Organizations: New York Times, Service, Sequoia Capital, K2 Global, Microsoft Locations: San Francisco, Tokyo

☆ Crypto venture funding climbs for first time in nearly 2 years after bitcoin's stellar run
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Now, venture investors are returning. Venture funding for crypto-related companies in the fourth quarter of 2023 totaled $1.9 billion, a 2.5% increase from the prior quarter, PitchBook said Thursday. It marks the first time that venture VC investments in crypto startups have risen since the March quarter of 2022. Problems for crypto ventures were compounded that year by major collapses of crypto companies like Do Kwon's controversial algorithmic stablecoin Terra and Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX. Le said that crypto venture funding has bottomed with a rise in crypto asset prices and public market valuations of crypto-related companies such as Coinbase , Marathon Digital , and MicroStrategy .

Persons: Crypto, PitchBook, It's, Sam Bankman, FTX, Andreessen Horowitz, Le, bitcoin Organizations: Venture, Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global, CNBC, Marathon Locations: FTX

☆ U.S. lawmakers accuse five VC firms of investing $3 billion in Chinese companies linked to military activities
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Mike Gallagher, center, chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, speaks at a news conference following a GOP caucus meeting at the Republican National Committee offices in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 28, 2023. He is joined by fellow Republicans Rep. Elise Stefanik, left, and Majority Whip Steve Scalise. Sequoia Capital China, Qualcomm Ventures and three other venture capital firms plowed at least $3 billion into Chinese tech companies that support Beijing's military and its repression of minorities in Xinjiang, a U.S. congressional report alleged on Thursday. Reuters could not reach the venture capital firms for comment. The White House did not respond to requests for comment.

Persons: Mike Gallagher, Elise Stefanik, Steve Scalise, Biden Organizations: Chinese Communist Party, Republican National Committee, Washington , D.C, Sequoia Capital China, Qualcomm Ventures, Representatives, Republican, GGV, GSR Ventures, Walden International, U.S, Embassy Locations: Washington ,, Sequoia Capital, Xinjiang, U.S, China, People's Republic of China, Washington

☆ American Firms Invested $1 Billion in Chinese Chips, Lawmakers Find
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Ana Swanson | Erin Griffith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A congressional investigation has determined that five American venture capital firms invested more than $1 billion in China’s semiconductor industry since 2001, fueling the growth of a sector that the United States government now regards as a national security threat. Funds supplied by the five firms — GGV Capital, GSR Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Sequoia Capital and Walden International — went to more than 150 Chinese companies, according to the report, which was released Thursday by both Republicans and Democrats on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party. The investments included roughly $180 million that went to Chinese firms that the committee said directly or indirectly support Beijing’s military. That includes companies that the U.S. government has said provide chips for China’s military research, equipment and weapons, such as Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, or SMIC, China’s largest chipmaker. The report by the House committee focuses on investments made before the Biden administration imposed sweeping restrictions aimed at cutting off China’s access to American financing and technology.

Persons: Walden International —, Biden Organizations: —, GSR Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Walden International, Republicans, Democrats, Chinese Communist Party, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation Locations: United States

☆ Bill Ackman accuses Harvard of ‘election interference’ and Mark Zuckerberg wades into board battle
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Each January, Harvard University alumni are eligible to gather enough signatures to run for the university’s Board of Overseers. Mark Zuckerberg is throwing his support behind former Facebook exec Sam Lessin, a venture capitalist calling for significant reform to Harvard. Ackman, who led the campaign to oust former Harvard president Claudine Gay, is drawing attention to the tedious process of gathering signatures from alumni. “In the securities world, the SEC would come in an prosecute a company that made it this difficult to vote for an alternative slate,” Ackman wrote. It’s not more complicated than that.”During the virtual event on Friday, Zuckerberg said Lessin is the “type of person” he’d want governing Harvard.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Lessin, Lessin, Penny Pritzker, Bill Ackman, Ackman, Claudine Gay, Gay, “, ” Ackman, ” Harvard, Bill, ” Lessin, ”, they’ve, Zuckerberg, Josh Kushner, Alfred Lin, Mark, He’s, It’s, Sam, ” Zuckerberg Organizations: New, New York CNN, Harvard University, university’s, Harvard, Facebook, Harvard Corporation, SEC, “, CNN, Sequoia Locations: New York, Harvard, Israel

☆ Tiger Global-backed Productboard conducts third round of layoffs in two years, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | Riddhi Kanetkar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Now, Productboard has begun another round of layoffs, the scale of which is unknown as yet, the former staffers said. Startups and Big Tech companies alike have slashed their wage bills as the high-interest rate environment encourages businesses to prioritize sustainability over growth. AdvertisementIn January alone, 76 tech companies have laid off 21,370 employees, according to tracker site Layoffs.fyi.

Persons: —, Productboard, Daniel Hejl, Hubert Palan, Kleiner Perkins, Palan, Productboard's headcount Organizations: Service, Business, Tiger Global, Dragoneer, Microsoft, Volkswagen, Sequoia, Bessemer Venture Partners, Index Ventures, Big Tech, Bloomberg, LinkedIn Locations: San Francisco, Czech Republic, Silicon Valley, Sequoia Capital, Productboard

☆ Unity Software to lay off 1,800 employees, or 25% of staff
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-08 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Unity Software said Monday that it's cutting 1,800 jobs, or about 25% of its workforce, in the latest round of layoffs at the gaming technology company. Unity said in a regulatory filing that the cuts are part of a corporate restructuring plan. In September, Unity announced a pricing change that upset numerous developers who rely on the company's technology to create video games. The following month, John Riccitiello retired as Unity's CEO, also stepping down as chairman and leaving the board. WATCH: Unity Software's John Riccitiello retiring as president and CEO

Persons: Unity, it's, John Riccitiello, James Whitehurst, Roelof Botha Organizations: Unity Software, Unity, Red, Unity's, Sequoia Capital

☆ China's LandSpace readies satellite launch with methane rocket
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Beijing-based LandSpace Technology, one of China's private space companies, is preparing to launch a satellite payload to orbit in the first commercial test of its rocket powered by liquid fuel using methane and oxygen. The company did not specify a launch window for the rocket, which will blast off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia. The company had fundraising rounds of undisclosed sizes since, Chinese company record tracking database Tianyancha showed. LandSpace rival OrienSpace, founded in 2020, said it plans to launch its first rocket, Gravity-1, based on solid fuel, in December. ($1 = 7.1368 Chinese yuan renminbi)Reporting by Ella Cao, Roxanne Liu and Bernard Orr; Editing by Kevin Krolicki and Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: LandSpace's, LandSpace, Elon Musk's, Jeff Bezos, Zhang Changwu, OrienSpace, Ella Cao, Roxanne Liu, Bernard Orr, Kevin Krolicki Organizations: Technology, Weibo, Jiuquan, Elon, Elon Musk's SpaceX, SpaceX, Sequoia Capital, China SME Development Fund, LandSpace's, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Beijing, Inner Mongolia, China, U.S, HongShan, Sequoia Capital China

OpenAI's tender offer, which would allow employees to sell shares in the start-up to outside investors, remains on track despite the leadership tumult and board shuffle, two people familiar with the matter told CNBC. The round and previously reported valuation were jeopardized by Sam Altman's temporary ouster earlier in November, but his return cleared the way for the tender offer to proceed. The extension of the tender offer comes after a rollercoaster couple of weeks for the company. OpenAI's other major backers include Founders Fund, Sequoia Capital and, following the completion of the tender offer, Thrive Capital. Founders Fund will not participate in the tender offer either, a person familiar with the firm said.

Persons: Sam Altman, Josh Kushner's, Sam Altman's, Altman, Satya Nadella, Greg Brockman, OpenAI, Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, Adam D'Angelo, Nadella, — CNBC's Ari Levy, Jordan Novet, Elon Musk Organizations: Economic Cooperation, APEC, CNBC, Microsoft, Employees, Brockman's, Tiger Global, Fund, Sequoia Capital, Bloomberg Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, OpenAI

An aerial view of the San Francisco city skyline in California, U.S., October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSAN FRANCISCO, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Videogame software provider Unity Software (U.N) will eliminate 265 jobs or 3.8% of its global workforce and end an agreement with a digital video effects company founded by the "Lord of the Rings" director as part of a "reset," the company said on Tuesday. Tuesday's announcement includes termination of the professional services piece of an agreement Unity struck with movie director Peter Jackson's visual effects company Weta FX in 2021 after Unity purchased the technology and engineering division of Weta FX. As a result, 265 employees whose jobs are related to the agreement will be laid off, the company said. Reporting by Anna Tong in San Francisco Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Carlos Barria, John Riccitiello, Jim Whitehurst, Roelof Botha, Peter Jackson's, Whitehurst, Anna Tong, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Unity Software, San, Unity, Sequoia Capital, FX, Weta, Reuters, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, California, U.S, Berlin, Singapore, Bellevue , Washington

Sam Altman will return as CEO of OpenAI, the startup said early Wednesday morning on X, formerly known as Twitter. The move follows immense pressure from employees and investors on the board that ousted him less than a week ago. Former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers will join OpenAI's board, the Microsoft-backed startup said, with Taylor holding the chair position. Adam D'Angelo, co-founder and CEO of question-and-answer startup Quora, will remain on the board. That followed an announcement late Sunday that OpenAI had hired ex-Twitch CEO Emmett Shear as Altman's interim replacement.

Persons: Sam Altman, Salesforce, Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, Taylor, Adam D'Angelo, OpenAI, Ilya Sutskever, Altman, Satya Nadella, Greg Brockman, Emmett Shear, Mira Murati, msft, Nadella, Sam, Greg, OAI Organizations: OpenAI, Twitter, Microsoft, Tiger, Sequoia Capital Locations: openai

Jack Guez | Afp | Getty ImagesAfter a weekend of crisis and tumult, Sam Altman has returned as the CEO of OpenAI. Nathan Laine | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesBret Taylor, board chair Bret Taylor is currently a board member at the e-commerce platform Shopify . It isn't clear if Taylor's involvement with his own AI startup will cease with his appointment to lead OpenAI's board. OpenAI's board fired Altman Friday after determining he was "not consistently candid in his communications," but its members never elaborated further. Jack Guez | AFP | Getty ImagesIlya Sutskever Ilya Sutskever co-founded OpenAI and serves as its chief scientist.

Persons: Sam Altman, Ilya Sutskever, Jack Guez, Altman, There's, Satya Nadella, Nadella, Here's, Bret Taylor, Nathan Laine, He's, Elon, Taylor, Salesforce, Larry Summers, David A, CNBC Larry Summers Larry Summers, Clinton, Summers, Jack Dorsey, Adam D'Angelo Adam D'Angelo, D'Angelo, Helen Toner, CSET, Vox, Jerod Harris, Helen Toner Helen Toner, Toner, Tasha McCauley, Carlton Laguna Nigel, Tasha McCauley Tasha McCauley, Joseph Gordon, Levitt, McCauley, Ilya Sutskever Ilya Sutskever, Sutskever, Greg Brockman, Brockman, Brockman's, Sven Hoppe Organizations: Tel Aviv University, Afp, Getty, Microsoft, CNBC, Sequoia, Tiger Global, Salesforce, Viva Technology Conference, Bloomberg, Google, Economic, Grogan, Harvard University, Obama, Economic Council, Twitter, Meta, Facebook, The Ritz, Carlton, Georgetown University's Center for Security, Emerging Technology, Philanthropy, Business Development, Ritz, Rand Corporation, GeoSim Systems, AFP, University of Toronto, Stanford, Technical University of Munich Locations: Tel Aviv, Paris, Davos, Switzerland, Washington, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point , California, Russian Israeli, Canadian

☆ VCs didn't care about OpenAI's weird board structure. It was all about investing in Sam Altman and its 'transformative' tech.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | Vishal Persaud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

OpenAI's venture capital investors weren't thinking about its mission to serve "humanity" by developing artificial intelligence. After Altman's ouster, Vinod Khosla, an early investor in OpenAI, came to his defense despite the criticism. OpenAI's complex and unique corporate governance structure meant that VCs could invest in the capped profit entity, but never earn any influence over the nonprofit board of directors, all of whom were either cofounders or appointed outside AI experts. The board structure and its governance are all likely to change as part of the deal to bring Sam Altman back as CEO of OpenAI. The purpose of the newly formed OpenAI board – consisting of current board member D'Angelo, former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor – is to vet and potentially appoint an expanded board of up to nine people, and that Microsoft and Altman want board seats, The Verge reported.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI, Altman, VCs, Sam, Altman's, Vinod Khosla, Yunus, Khosla, Wesley Chan, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, Tasha McCauley, who's, Joseph Gordon, Levitt, Helen Toner, Adam D'Angelo, Karthee Madasamy, it's, David Sacks, D'Angelo, Larry Summers, Bret Taylor – Organizations: Business, Tiger Global Management, Khosla Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Microsoft, FPV Ventures, Rand Corporation, Georgetown's Center for Security, Emerging Technology, MFV Partners, Qualcomm Ventures, Ikea, Bosch, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Bertelsmann Foundation, Carlsberg Foundation, Craft Ventures Locations: OpenAI, Silicon Valley, Hollywood

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