More than two months after OpenAI completed a sweeping corporate restructuring, criticism continues to mount that the company has drifted far from its 2015 founding vision of an open, nonprofit effort to build artificial general intelligence for the benefit of all humanity.
October 28, 2025 · OpenAI Restructuring
A Nonprofit's Promise, Now a $130B Question
OpenAI finalized a sweeping reorganization placing its nonprofit Foundation in control of a for-profit public benefit corporation. Critics say the company has drifted far from its 2015 vision of open AI built for all humanity.
$130B
value of the Foundation's stake in the operating company
10×
valuation growth over 15 years that triggers the nonprofit's warrant
2015
founded as an open nonprofit — flagship models now largely closed
Who Owns OpenAI Group PBC
Ownership stake by share — the nonprofit holds control, not the majority
47%
Employees & investors
26%
OpenAI Foundation
Where control still sits
Despite holding a minority stake, the nonprofit Foundation keeps the levers that matter.
Special voting rights to appoint and remove the PBC board
The Safety & Security Committee sits on the nonprofit side
A warrant paying out if valuation rises more than tenfold in 15 years
Supporters say
Easier to raise the huge sums AGI demands
Directs ~$130B in value back to the nonprofit
PBC structure now an industry norm (Anthropic, xAI)
Critics say
Investors and Microsoft capture most of the value
Closed models limit outside scrutiny
Commercial priorities may erode the safety-first ethos
From open nonprofit to controlled PBC
2015
Nonprofit, open, for all humanity
→
2019
"Capped-profit" subsidiary for investment
→
2025
Foundation controls OpenAI Group PBC
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