Elon Musk takes on OpenAI
Sam Altman was bending the world to his will long before OpenAI
Microsoft, Nvidia to Face US Antitrust Probes Over AI Moves
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Elon Musk takes on OpenAI
Elon Musk’s xAI is making waves in the crowded AI landscape, boasting some significant advantages. The tech billionaire’s startup, xAI, has secured a hefty $6 billion in funding, valuing the company at $24 billion, with backing from Silicon Valley heavyweights like Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz, as well as an investment fund linked to the Saudi royal family.
This financial muscle places xAI in the same league as AI giants like OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, and Anthropic. In November, xAI launched Grok, its competitor to ChatGPT, available to X users on a subscription basis. Musk has ambitious plans, including the need for 100,000 AI chips to develop the next version of Grok and the construction of a massive supercomputer by late 2025, dubbed a “gigafactory of compute,” to rival a similar project by OpenAI and Microsoft.
Leveraging data from Musk’s 2022 acquisition of Twitter, now rebranded as X, xAI has a treasure trove of human-generated data perfect for training AI systems. Additionally, Musk’s ability to attract top talent has seen xAI poach top talent from competitors….
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Sam Altman was bending the world to his will long before OpenAI
In a remarkable journey that began nearly two decades ago, Sam Altman, then a 19-year-old CEO of a fledgling startup called Loopt, demonstrated the tenacity and vision that would eventually catapult him to the helm of OpenAI, one of the world's most influential artificial intelligence companies.
Altman's early venture aimed to leverage cellphone GPS coordinates to connect users with nearby friends, a concept that caught the attention of investors at the Boost ccompany despite initial skepticism. His confident pitch led Boost to abandon another company in favor of Loopt, showcasing Altman's knack for winning over powerful backers—a skill he would refine throughout his career.
Although Loopt itself didn't become a major success, it served as a launchpad for Altman to take over Y Combinator, the startup accelerator that had nurtured his company, and later to co-found OpenAI in 2015 as a nonprofit alternative to Google.
Altman's ambition and forward-thinking have earned him the support of tech luminaries like Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and Satya Nadella, but his rapid ascent has also strained relationships with some former allies. As he continues to shape the future of AI, Altman's journey underscores a relentless pursuit of influence and innovation….
Originally by Ellen Huet of Businessweek
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Microsoft, Nvidia to Face US Antitrust Probes Over AI Moves
The United States has launched antitrust investigations into Microsoft Corp. and Nvidia Corp., two of the globe's most valuable companies, over their significant influence in the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Microsoft has invested over $13 billion in its collaboration with OpenAI, integrating the startup's generative-AI technology into its Bing search engine, Edge browser, and Windows operating system. Meanwhile, Nvidia, the leading chipmaker, has admitted to prioritizing chip allocations to customers who can utilize them swiftly, raising concerns about its market control over advanced AI semiconductors.
The Federal Trade Commission will oversee the investigation into Microsoft's relationship with OpenAI, while the Department of Justice will examine Nvidia's dominance in AI chips, as per the sources. The DOJ will also continue to monitor Alphabet Inc.'s Google.
This division of responsibilities was finalized after more than six months of negotiations, granting each agency the authority to initiate antitrust probes into the companies' practices and recent transactions….
