OpenAI just announced that it will split the for-profit and non-profit parts of the company.

Our current structure does not allow the Board to directly consider the interests of those who would finance the mission and does not enable the non-profit to easily do more than control the for-profit.

The [for-profit] will run and control OpenAI’s operations and business, while the non-profit will hire a leadership team and staff to pursue charitable initiatives in sectors such as health care, education, and science.

Our plan is to transform our existing for-profit into a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) with ordinary shares of stock and the OpenAI mission as its public benefit interest. The PBC is a structure⁠ used⁠ by⁠ many⁠ others⁠ that requires the company to balance shareholder interests, stakeholder interests, and a public benefit interest in its decisionmaking. It will enable us to raise the necessary capital with conventional terms like others in this space.

Our plan would result in one of the best resourced non-profits in history. The non-profit’s significant interest in the existing for-profit would take the form of shares in the PBC at a fair valuation determined by independent financial advisors. This will multiply the resources that our donors gave manyfold.