[beeyaw]

> I don’t see how the board gets out of this pickle

They just hold steady. Nothing to gain by backing down.

OpenAI employees were calling people at 1am and forcing them to sign the letter. Classic peer pressure, it doesn't mean support, it means keeping your options open, and they won't all leave. Nobody knows what's gonna happen but they might attract new talent which isn't aligned with Sam and would lose a lot by being public right now.

It's been less than 48 hours, Sam and allies are running wild with their playbook, but I will wait a bit longer to see if the board has anything to say.

[recovery_mode]

Yea, this is a good take. The letter is truly nothing more than a bluff, and an embarassing one at that. For one, all it promises is that the undersigned 'may' resign. Why wouldn't someone sign it, especially if they fear retaliation? Meanwhile, apparently most of OpenAI cares more about following Sam, even if it leads into the arms of the beast itself, than their original mission of ensuring AI would benefit all of humanity.

[gardenhedge]

Yeah, it probably feels like you need to sign it if you want a job at MS. Otherwise you might end up with no job and your mortgage still needs to be paid.

[minimaxir]

>90% support is more than "peer pressure."

[beeyaw]

I think most people would sign when so many are doing it already. Lots to lose by not doing it.

[brookst]

So if 10% sign it’s meaningless, and if 90% sign it’s meaningless?

[beeyaw]

You can choose the meaning for yourself. As for me, anything less than 100% is very surprising. Anyone who does not sign now is choosing to be brave and stand against all of their coworkers.

Just like if 0 people post public angry messages on Twitter about the CEO, it is meaningless. But if 5 people post, it is meaningful.

Even if 100% sign this letter, it is meaningless. But if 5 people do not sign, it is meaningful.

[brookst]

I think you're overestimating pressure and desire for conformity in a startup like OpenAI. People are working hard and largely committed to the project. There are no black-clad priests going cube to cube ensuring ideological compliance. Nobody is compiling lists of who failed to sign. If that's what you're thinking, it may be a sign of your own biases and how you'd act in a similar situation.