The corporate transition will allow OpenAI to raise more money and finally give its board the freedom to consider what its investors want.

OpenAI is getting a corporate makeover. The ChatGPT maker revealed in a company blog post (via The New York Times) that it plans to undergo some changes at the structural level soon. Specifically, OpenAI will become a Public Benefit Corporation,

Going into 2025, OpenAI plans to become a Public Benefit Corporation⁠ (PBC), which is a for-profit company meant to operate for the good of society. This division will “run and control OpenAI’s operations and business,” while OpenAI’s nonprofit will retain a stake in the business but lose its oversight role.

One of OpenAI’s co-founders, billionaire Elon Musk, has filed for an injunction to halt the company’s transition to a for-profit, accusing OpenAI of abandoning its original philanthropic mission. Musk has also alleged that OpenAI has deprived his AI company, xAI, of capital by extracting promises from investors not to fund it.

Following the reorganization, the for-profit division would be responsible for overseeing OpenAI’s “operations and business,” while the nonprofit arm would operate separately with its own leadership team and a focus on charitable efforts in health care, education and science.

OpenAI said it will be restructured as a public benefit corporation, and the nonprofit that controls the organization would receive shares in the new company.