San Francisco, CA, February 18, 2025 – OpenAI is evaluating a proposal to grant special voting rights to its non-profit board as a measure to safeguard its decision-making power amid recent hostile takeover attempts.
The move, reported by Reuters and the Financial Times, comes as the company navigates a transition toward a more traditional for-profit structure.
According to sources familiar with the discussions, CEO Sam Altman and board members are considering new governance measures that would enable the non-profit board to overrule major investors, including significant backers such as Microsoft and SoftBank. The proposal is seen as a preemptive step to block future hostile takeover bids, including an unsolicited $97.4 billion acquisition offer from a consortium led by Elon Musk that was rejected by OpenAI on Friday.
Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI who later departed the company, reportedly made the bid in an effort to prevent OpenAI from shifting toward a profit-driven model as it seeks additional funding to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving AI sector. OpenAI dismissed the offer and any future bids as disingenuous, emphasizing that the startup is not for sale.
While no firm decisions have been made regarding the special voting rights, the proposed governance change underscores OpenAI’s commitment to maintaining strategic control during its structural transition. OpenAI has not immediately commented on the report.
As the company weighs its options, the potential implementation of special voting rights could set a precedent for how AI startups balance investor interests with long-term strategic and ethical considerations in a highly competitive industry.
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FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino firmly stated in a Fox News interview that Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in his New York jail cell in 2019.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Tuesday that Pope Leo XIV confirmed his readiness to host the next round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks at the Vatican, expressing her gratitude for his support.
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Israel is pulling back its senior negotiation team from the hostage release talks in Doha after a week of what it called “intensive” but fruitless discussions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced.
A 4.0 magnitude earthquake struck in the Marmara Sea off the coast of Istanbul’s Büyükçekmece district late Monday night, according to Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).
President Donald Trump has officially launched the $175 billion Golden Dome missile defense shield, a sweeping new program aimed at countering threats from China and Russia using advanced satellite technology.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino firmly stated in a Fox News interview that Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in his New York jail cell in 2019.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Tuesday that Pope Leo XIV confirmed his readiness to host the next round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks at the Vatican, expressing her gratitude for his support.
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