Nearly two weeks ago, OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman sat down for a call with California Attorney General Rob Bonta to deliver a simple message: He really wanted OpenAI to stay in California.
Behind it was a subtle threat. As Bonta weighed whether to bless OpenAI’s controversial conversion to a more traditional company structure, OpenAI had spent months making the case that it was the economic heart of the California economy—and would be willing to leave if Bonta blocked its plan to convert to a simpler corporate structure.
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