OpenAI may soon become a for-profit company with fewer checks and balances than before — the exact structure it was built to avoid.

Converting from a nonprofit happens rarely, especially for organizations this wealthy. OpenAI has two years to do so.

When a company transitions from purpose to profit, people and planet-oriented priorities tend to fall short. Does it have to be that way?

Even investors might not get much out of it Opinion Once upon a time, OpenAI was purely a non-profit. Really. It was established in December 2015 as a non-profit AI research organization. Now it appears increasingly likely that OpenAI will become a for-profit company.