• Microsoft and OpenAI have been in a partnership for 3.5 years.
• Kevin Scott and Sam Altman have known each other since Sam tried to recruit Kevin to be the Head of Engineering at his startup, Loopt.
• Microsoft and OpenAI have a shared vision of powerful models that can be used as platforms to develop lots of things on top of.
• Microsoft believes OpenAI is the best AI team pound-for-pound on the planet.
• OpenAI can focus on their work while Microsoft helps them commercialize their products.
• OpenAI and Microsoft have a successful partnership that has allowed them to accomplish a lot of amazing things.
• The goals of OpenAI and Microsoft are compatible and not overlapping, allowing them to work together efficiently.
• The partnership between OpenAI and Microsoft is not a simple “throw it over the wall” situation, but rather a close collaboration at each step.
• CoPilot was the first project that required collaboration between three organizations, and it was a learning experience for all involved.
• Sam Altman and Kevin Scott discussed the success of the Microsoft-OpenAI partnership and the cost and business models associated with the new Bing product.
• Sam believes that the partnership works best when both parties trust and like each other and work together in good faith.
• Kevin believes that Microsoft has the ability to performance-optimize the product and bring it to market as an ad-supported product.
• Sam believes that the two companies will be able to figure out a way to monetize the product profitably.
• The two discussed the new Bing product and how it may require new interaction models to be successful.
• Sam gave credit to Kevin for his commitment to the partnership and the flexibility of both companies to make it work.
Published February 8, 2023
Visit Stratechery to read Ben Thompson’s original post New Bing, and an Interview with Kevin Scott and Sam Altman About the Microsoft-OpenAI Partnership