Interesting, here Sebastien Bubeck comes across as a well-meaning if ultimately powerless figurehead for the OpenAI corporate machine. You can see token concessions to the mathematical community (like the withdrawal of sponsorship from the Mathathon) that someone on the inside had to advocate for but in the end it's all swamped by events like the October 6 proof dump. And people like Bubeck come up with their own rationalizations for staying, even when they are fully aware of the effects.
> BUBECK: 100% honest answer: personally I would like to spend my time on the other areas I care about, which are probably not your cup of tea, but like, healthcare. if we have a good machine, accelerating medicine seems like a good idea.
> NIHIL: And your corporation would botch it up exactly the way it’s botched up math academia. We know this.
> BUBECK: :-(
> NIHIL: You have left a trail of destruction at your wake. I mean I don’t blame you. But that’s what it is.
reasonableklout•59m ago
> BUBECK: 100% honest answer: personally I would like to spend my time on the other areas I care about, which are probably not your cup of tea, but like, healthcare. if we have a good machine, accelerating medicine seems like a good idea.
> NIHIL: And your corporation would botch it up exactly the way it’s botched up math academia. We know this.
> BUBECK: :-(
> NIHIL: You have left a trail of destruction at your wake. I mean I don’t blame you. But that’s what it is.