Remember when OpenAI was the “idealistic lab” dominated by a non - profit organization back in 2015 after the explosive emergence of ChatGPT in 2022? Now, this AI giant is rewriting the rules again. On May 6, 2025, OpenAI officially announced that it would abandon the plan to fully transform into a for - profit company and instead adopt the structure of a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC). This decision means that although a standard equity model is introduced to attract investment, the non - profit parent company will maintain absolute control over the company, ensuring that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) always serves the well - being of all humanity.
OpenAI Transformation Background: From Non - profit to For - profit and Then to a Public Benefit Corporation
In 2015, Musk, Altman and others jointly founded a non - profit organization, vowing to “safely develop AI for the benefit of all humanity”. In 2019, a for - profit subsidiary OpenAI LP was established, with Microsoft and other investors coming on board, and a “profit cap” mechanism was set. In 2024, the plan to fully transform into a for - profit company sparked a lawsuit from Musk, who accused OpenAI of betraying its original mission of “not harming humanity”. The Attorneys General's offices in California and Delaware also got involved in the review, demanding that the company prove that the new structure would not weaken the public - interest orientation.
“It's like turning a fire station into a real estate company and still claiming that fire fighting is a sideline,” AI ethicist Stuart Russell commented in The Guardian. “The PBC structure is more binding than a pure for - profit company, but it lacks an enforcement mechanism and may become a tool for ‘greenwashing’.”
Timeline Review: Three Changes in Five Years
Founded in 2015: Musk, Altman and others jointly founded a non - profit organization, promising to “safely develop AI for the benefit of all humanity”
Transformation in 2019: Established the for - profit subsidiary OpenAI LP, attracted investments from Microsoft and others, and set a “profit cap” mechanism
Controversy in 2024: The plan to fully transform into a for - profit company sparked a lawsuit from Musk, and a $974 billion malicious acquisition offer was made to disrupt the restructuring
Settled in 2025: Announced the PBC structure, with the non - profit organization becoming the largest shareholder and retaining the right to supervise AGI safety
Musk's Lawsuit and Regulatory Review: Dual Pressures on OpenAI's Transformation
The transformation has not been smooth sailing. Since 2024, Tesla CEO Musk has filed a series of lawsuits, accusing OpenAI of deviating from its non - profit mission when it partnered with Microsoft and even made a $974 billion malicious acquisition offer to disrupt the restructuring. The Attorneys General's offices in California and Delaware have simultaneously launched investigations, demanding that the company prove that the new structure will not weaken the public - interest orientation.
“This is like turning a fire station into a real estate company, and yet claiming that fire fighting is a sideline,” AI ethicist Stuart Russell commented in The Guardian. “The PBC structure is more binding than a purely profit - driven company, but it lacks a robust enforcement mechanism, which may turn it into a ‘greenwashing’ tool.”
Financing Game: SoftBank's $40 Billion Investment May Be Affected
| Time Point | Key Event | Impact Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| March 2025 | SoftBank led a $40 billion investment round. | Requested the transformation to be completed by the end of the year. |
| May 2025 | Announced the PBC structure. | The financing scale may shrink to $20 billion. |
| Q3 2025 | Expected IPO launch. | Valuation may reach $300 billion. |
In - depth Analysis of the PBC Structure: Balancing Profit and Mission
Under the new structure, OpenAI will present a “dual - core” model:
Non - profit Parent Company: Retains the original mission, controls the appointment of directors of the PBC board, and reinvests profits into public welfare areas such as healthcare and education.
For - profit Subsidiary: Adopts a standard equity structure, allowing employees and investors to hold shares, and the financing ability increases by 300%.
Microsoft CEO Nadella said: “This innovative structure provides a new paradigm for the commercialization of AI and ethical supervision.” However, opponents pointed out that when the number of ChatGPT users exceeds 1 billion and the API call volume surges, how to balance commercial interests and public responsibilities remains a huge challenge.
Global Comparison of AI Company Structures
Anthropic: Raised $2.6 billion in Series C funding and adopted the PBC structure to focus on safety research.
xAI: Owned by Musk, all profits are invested in brain - computer interface projects.
DeepMind: Still remains completely non - profit, relying on Alphabet's financial support.
Impact on Users: What's Next for ChatGPT?
For ordinary users, the transformation brings two major changes:
“I used to wait for 2 hours to get a response from ChatGPT. Now the response speed has increased by 40%!” —— Reddit user @AI_Enthusiast
“I'm worried that the free version's features will be cut in the future. I've already stocked up 1000 API calls.” —— Hot post on the developer forum
The official promises that in the next three years: (Here the content seems to be incomplete, but we'll keep the structure for now)
Developer Ecosystem Restructuring: Open - source Plans and New API Policies
With the adjustment of the architecture, OpenAI announced a developer incentive plan:
Model Open - sourcing: GPT - 4 Turbo will open basic API interfaces to meet the needs of academic research.
Cost Control: The price of enterprise - level APIs is reduced by 35%, supporting the deployment of small and medium - sized enterprises.
Safety Sandbox: Launch an isolated testing environment to reduce the risk of malicious use.
Duolingo, an educational technology startup, has already connected to the new API, and its language learning model's response speed has increased by 2.8 times. However, the developer community is worried that the reduction in free quotas may affect the survival of small projects.
Geopolitical Impact: Regulatory Competition among China, the US, and Europe
OpenAI's architectural transformation coincides with the global tightening of AI regulation:
| Region | Regulatory Focus | OpenAI's Response Strategy |
|---|---|---|
| European Union | Compliance certification with the Artificial Intelligence Act | Establish a European ethics review committee. |
| China | Requirements for local data storage | Establish a joint data center with Baidu Cloud. |
| United States | Ban on Department of Defense AI procurement | Exit the whitelist of military application projects. |
Future Challenges: Balancing Profit and Mission
Although the structural adjustment has temporarily eased legal disputes, OpenAI still faces three major tests:
Financial Sustainability: The first - quarter 2025 financial report shows that the loss has increased by 3.7 billion US dollars year - on - year.
Technical Competitiveness: Google's Gemini Ultra outperformed by 2.1 percentage points in the MMLU benchmark test.
Public Trust: According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, the trust index of the AI industry has dropped to 43 points (out of 100).
Guidelines for Users: How to Cope with the New Era of AGI
Privacy Protection: Regularly clear ChatGPT chat records and enable local model caching.
Career Planning: Pay attention to emerging job requirements such as AI prompt engineering and ethics review.
Investment Opportunities: Participate in infrastructure investment through the OpenAI Partner Fund.
