Simon Willison (tech blogger and developer) recently uncovered the shifting priorities of OpenAI by analyzing their mandatory IRS tax filings from 2016 to 2024. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, OpenAI must declare its mission annually, providing a unique legal paper trail that tracks how the organization’s leadership views its core purpose over time.

The investigation reveals a steady move away from the original 2016 goals, which emphasized building AI as part of a "larger community" and sharing plans and capabilities openly. While the early filings explicitly stated the organization was unconstrained by a need to generate financial returns, these sentiments were gradually diluted. By 2018, the commitment to open sharing was deleted, and by 2021, the technical terminology shifted from "digital intelligence" to "general-purpose artificial intelligence."

The most striking change occurred in the 2024 filing, where the mission was condensed into a single, punchy sentence focused on ensuring Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity. Notably, this latest version completely omits previous references to "safety" and the specific clause regarding operating independently of profit motives. This evolution highlights OpenAI's transition from a research-oriented, collaborative non-profit into a more centralized and potentially commercially-driven entity.

Simon Willison (a tech writer) looked at OpenAI’s "Official Government Papers" (tax filings) from 2016 to 2024. Because OpenAI started as a "Group that helps people" (non-profit), they have to write down their "Main Promise" (mission statement) every year. These papers show how the company's heart has changed over time.

Back in 2016, OpenAI promised to work with everyone and share their "AI Recipes" (open-source) so the whole world could benefit. They even said they didn't care about "Making a Profit" (financial return). But over time, they started deleting those words. By 2021, they changed their goal from just "Smart Computers" (digital intelligence) to "Super-Smart Computers that can do anything" (Artificial General Intelligence or AGI).

In their 2024 report, the promise became very short. It now says they just want to make sure super-smart AI helps everyone. But, they completely took out the parts about "Keeping things safe" (safety) and "Not needing to make money" (operating independently of profit motives). This shows that OpenAI is changing from a group that shares everything into a "Big Business" (commercially-driven entity) that focuses more on power and money.