The Altman Doctrine: How Billions Make Principles Negotiable
When OpenAI’s CEO discovered that moral high ground doesn’t pay for data centres
This article is based on public statements, court filings, regulatory documents, testimony from former OpenAI board members, and reporting from Reuters, Fortune, Bloomberg, Vice, and other credible outlets. All potentially defamatory claims are attributed to their sources.
😇✨ The Saint (2015–2018)
🔀💸 The Quiet Pivot (2019): When Reality Bites
🎭💰 The Mask Slips (2023–2024): When $300 Billion Talks, Principles Walk
🤥📄 The Lies, Documented
♟️🏛️ The Power Play: When $300 Billion Crushes Governance
⚖️↩️ The Forced Retreat (May 2025): When Lawyers Get Involved
💵🔎 The $850 Billion Reality Check (September 2025): When the Mask Falls Off Completely
💔🧾 The Other Broken Promises: A Greatest Hits Collection
🧠🛡️ The Superalignment Computing Resources Promise
🔁😈 The Pattern: When Billions Turn Saints into Sinners
🚨😬 Why This Should Terrify You
🪞🧊 The Uncomfortable Truth
📚🔗 Key Sources
😇✨ The Saint (2015–2018)
In December 2015, OpenAI launched with the kind of mission statement that would make a Davos attendee weep with joy. On their website, they declared: “Our mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence—AI systems that are generally smarter than humans—benefits all of humanity.”
Not some of humanity. Not most of humanity. All of it.