Part 11/13:
A noteworthy revelation is that during the internal turmoil, Anthropic, another leading AI startup founded by former OpenAI employees Dario Amade and his sister, sought to merge with or acquire OpenAI. Ilia confirmed that Anthropic expressed a strong interest in partnering with OpenAI but that he—along with most of the OpenAI board—was vehemently opposed. Despite some support from members like Helen Toner, the majority did not favor the deal, fearing it might compromise OpenAI’s independence and mission.