Suggests there’s an enormous amount of bad feeling about the decision internally. It also seems like a bad sign that the board was unwilling to provide any ‘written evidence’ of wrongdoing, though maybe something will appear in the coming days.
But all told it looks pretty bad for EA. Seems like there’s an enormous backlash online—initially against OpenAI for firing everyone’s favourite AI CEO, and now against “EA” “woke” “decelerationist” types.[1][2]
It’s also seemed to trigger a flurry of tweets from Nick Cammarata, saying that EAs are overwhelmingly self-flagellating and self-destructive and that EA caused him and his friends enormous harm. I think his claims are flatly wrong (though they may be true for him and his friends), and some of the replies seem to agree, but it has 500K views as I publish.
Seems like the whole episode (combined with at least one prominent EA seemingly saying it’s emblematic dreadful and toxic) has the potential to cause a lot of reputational damage, especially if the board chooses not to clarify its actions (although it’s possibly too late for that).
It is a disaster for EA. We need the EAs on the board to explain themselves, and if they made a mistake, just admit that they made a mistake and step down.
“Effective altruism” depends on being effective. If EA is just putting people in charge of other peoples’ money, they make decisions that seem like bad decisions, they never explain why, refuse to change their mind whatever happens… that’s no better than existing charities! This is what EA was supposed to prevent! We are supposed to be effective. Not to fire the best employees and destroy a company that is putting an incredible amount of effort into doing responsible things.
I might as well give my money to the San Francisco Symphony. At least they won’t spend it ruining things that I care about.
Please, anyone who knows Helen or Tasha, ask them to reconsider.
I don’t think that they own the EA community an explanation (it would be nice, but they don’t have to). The only people that can have a right to demand that are the people that have appointed them there and the OAI staff.
>I might as well give my money to the San Francisco Symphony. At least they won’t spend it ruining things that I care about.
It is your right, but I don’t know how this is related? How have they spent EA donors’ money? If you are referring to the Open Phil $30M grant, Open Phil doesn’t take donations so they can donate to whoever they want and don’t need to explain themselves. It would have been different if Open AI was spending GiveWell’s money.
An open letter from 500 of ~700 OpenAI employees to the board, calling on them to resign (also on The Verge).
Suggests there’s an enormous amount of bad feeling about the decision internally. It also seems like a bad sign that the board was unwilling to provide any ‘written evidence’ of wrongdoing, though maybe something will appear in the coming days.
But all told it looks pretty bad for EA. Seems like there’s an enormous backlash online—initially against OpenAI for firing everyone’s favourite AI CEO, and now against “EA” “woke” “decelerationist” types.[1][2]
It’s also seemed to trigger a flurry of tweets from Nick Cammarata, saying that EAs are overwhelmingly self-flagellating and self-destructive and that EA caused him and his friends enormous harm. I think his claims are flatly wrong (though they may be true for him and his friends), and some of the replies seem to agree, but it has 500K views as I publish.
Seems like the whole episode (combined with at least one prominent EA seemingly saying it’s emblematic dreadful and toxic) has the potential to cause a lot of reputational damage, especially if the board chooses not to clarify its actions (although it’s possibly too late for that).
https://x.com/brian_armstrong/status/1725924114190536825?s=46
https://x.com/atroyn/status/1725937945444757720?s=46
It is a disaster for EA. We need the EAs on the board to explain themselves, and if they made a mistake, just admit that they made a mistake and step down.
“Effective altruism” depends on being effective. If EA is just putting people in charge of other peoples’ money, they make decisions that seem like bad decisions, they never explain why, refuse to change their mind whatever happens… that’s no better than existing charities! This is what EA was supposed to prevent! We are supposed to be effective. Not to fire the best employees and destroy a company that is putting an incredible amount of effort into doing responsible things.
I might as well give my money to the San Francisco Symphony. At least they won’t spend it ruining things that I care about.
Please, anyone who knows Helen or Tasha, ask them to reconsider.
I don’t think that they own the EA community an explanation (it would be nice, but they don’t have to). The only people that can have a right to demand that are the people that have appointed them there and the OAI staff.
https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/zuqpqqFoue5LyutTv/the-ea-community-does-not-own-its-donors-money
>I might as well give my money to the San Francisco Symphony. At least they won’t spend it ruining things that I care about.
It is your right, but I don’t know how this is related? How have they spent EA donors’ money? If you are referring to the Open Phil $30M grant, Open Phil doesn’t take donations so they can donate to whoever they want and don’t need to explain themselves. It would have been different if Open AI was spending GiveWell’s money.