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- Big MS-OpenAI deal allows OpenAI to restructure as for-profit - aka this is probably bad
Big MS-OpenAI deal allows OpenAI to restructure as for-profit - aka this is probably bad
Leo Rodman
September 15, 2025
⚠️ OpenAI moving to a full for-profit setup will change how it behaves.
A for-profit company’s first job is to make money and keep investors happy, which usually makes it act more corporate.
That means more lawyers in the room, slower releases, and marketing that sounds safe and polished instead of open and experimental.
It also means the roadmap will lean toward the biggest customers, not the average student, indie hacker, or researcher.
Prices will likely go up. 💸
Even if the price per token doesn’t change right away, new “pro” features can get put behind paywalls, priority access can cost extra, and bundles can nudge you to spend more than you planned.
Overage fees, compliance add-ons, and “enterprise” tiers can quietly raise what you pay each month.
Ethics will get harder to protect.
When growth targets and revenue goals are front and center, safety teams have to fight for time and power.
Policies can start to favor what advertisers and big partners want, not what’s best for open research or everyday users.
You may also see less transparency about how models are trained, what data is used, and why certain choices are made.
What you can do about it:
• Keep a backup model ready so you’re not stuck if prices jump or terms change.
• Design your apps so you can switch providers without rewriting everything.
• Watch your total cost, not just the sticker price — include paywalled features, priority queues, and data egress.
• Add contract clauses that protect you if prices, access, or safety rules change mid-term.
• Set your own ethical guardrails (red-team prompts, review steps) so you’re not relying only on the vendor.
Bottom line: going for-profit doesn’t make OpenAI “bad,” but it does make its incentives clear.
More corporate, higher prices, and tougher ethics trade-offs are the normal outcome of that shift.
Plan for it now, and you won’t be surprised later.
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