Corporations are regularly "held accountable". Remember that "accountable" just means "required or expected to justify actions or decisions; responsible."
When you sue a corporation, discovery demands that they share their internal communication. You can depose key actors and require they describe the events. These actors can be cross-examined. A trial continues this. This is the very definition of "accountable".
The problem at OpenAI is that the employees were credulous children who took magic beans instead of a board seat. Legally, management is accountable to the board. In serious cultures that believe in accountability, labour demands seats on the board. In VC story-land, employees make do with vague promises with no legal force.
>The problem at OpenAI is that the employees were credulous children who took magic beans instead of a board seat. Legally, management is accountable to the board. In serious cultures that believe in accountability, labour demands seats on the board. In VC story-land, employees make do with vague promises with no legal force.
This is not a good description of the incident. The employees I mention in my comment, who quit due to lack of faith in Sam Altman, were presumably on the board's side in the Sam vs board drama.
There is still a chance that OpenAI's conversion to for-profit will be blocked. The site I linked is encouraging people to write letters to relevant state AGs: https://www.safetyabandoned.org/#outreach
I think there's a decent argument to be made that the conversion to a for-profit is a violation of OpenAI's nonprofit charter.
My point is: accountability is NOT an abstract property of a thing. It is a relationship between two parties. I am "accountable" to you IF you can demand that I provide an explanation for my behaviour. I am accountable to my boss. I am accountable to the law, should I be sued or charged criminally. I am NOT accountable to random people in the street.
Sam Altman is accountable to the board. The board can demand he explain himself (and did). Management is generally NOT accountable to employees in the USA. This is because labor rarely has a legal right to demand an accounting. In serious labour cultures (e.g. Germany), it is normal for the unions to hold board seats. These board seats are what makes management accountable to the employees.
OpenAI employees took happy words from sama at face value. That was not a legal relationship that provided accountability. And here we are. The decision to change from a not-for-profit is accountable to the board, and maybe the chancellors of Delaware corporate law.
When you sue a corporation, discovery demands that they share their internal communication. You can depose key actors and require they describe the events. These actors can be cross-examined. A trial continues this. This is the very definition of "accountable".
The problem at OpenAI is that the employees were credulous children who took magic beans instead of a board seat. Legally, management is accountable to the board. In serious cultures that believe in accountability, labour demands seats on the board. In VC story-land, employees make do with vague promises with no legal force.