Apple Given Observer Board Seat at OpenAI, A Phil Schiller Renaissance
We begin with my thoughts on Apple being given an observer board seat at OpenAI. The discussion then turns to Apple’s Phil Schiller, who reportedly will fill Apple’s seat on OpenAI’s board. In some ways, this new stage for Schiller comes across as something of a renaissance.
Hello everyone. Happy Monday.
Let's jump right into some news that came out last week.
Apple Given Observer Board Seat at OpenAI
Over at Bloomberg, here’s Mark Gurman:
“Apple Inc. will get an observer role on OpenAI’s board as part of a landmark agreement announced last month, further tightening ties between the once-unlikely partners.
Phil Schiller, the head of Apple’s App Store and its former marketing chief, was chosen for the position, according to people familiar with the situation. As a board observer, he won’t be serving as a full-fledged director, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter isn’t public.
The move follows Apple’s announcement in June that it would offer ChatGPT in the iPhone, iPad and Mac as part of a suite of artificial intelligence features. The board arrangement will take effect later this year, and Schiller hasn’t yet attended any meetings, according to the people.”
The news was later confirmed by other publications including the Financial Times.
Talk about a turn of events. Late last year, OpenAI went through one of the crazier stretches in Silicon Valley history as a board coup was attempted to kick Sam Altman out of the company. While the coup initially appeared to be going according to plan, Altman initiated one of the more masterful examples of leveraging social media and the press to win back control of the narrative. This eventually led to something of an OpenAI employee revolt that came across as more of a negotiation tactic. The Inside Orchard essay "Sam Altman Mania" went over my thoughts on how all of that went down. The end result was Altman regaining power at OpenAI while his primary detractors eventually left the company. The path for OpenAI to become a for-profit entity has never been more open.
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