The Daily Valet. - 11/20/23, Monday
✔️ No One Saw This Coming
Monday, November 20th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
No one start singing “happy birthday … mister … President,” okay?
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Today’s Big Story
The OpenAI Fiasco
After the board suddenly ousted CEO Sam Altman, Investors Try to Get him Back over the weekend
Did you hear about this mess? On Friday afternoon, OpenAI—the artificial intelligence startup behind ChatGPT, DALL-E 3, GPT-4 and other highly capable generative A.I. systems—pushed out its co-founder and CEO Sam Altman—after a review found he was “not consistently candid in his communications” with the board of directors. It was announced that he would leave the company's board of directors and step down as CEO.To say it was a shock is an understatement. And most OpenAI employees learned of the firing when it was announced publicly. As TIME put it, “Healthy companies led by competent, commercially successful and globally beloved founders generally don't tend to fire them.” When Altman walked onto a stage in San Francisco on Nov. 6 for the company's first developer conference, all those things could have described his role at OpenAI. Eleven days later he would be sacked—replaced by the chief technology officer.What followed was a “chaotic weekend during which executives loyal to Altman were agitating for his return.” Altman, of course, has been the face of OpenAI, which kick-started the current A.I. arms race with last year's hugely popular release of ChatGPT. And by Sunday evening, OpenAI's investors were making efforts to bring him back. The Verge reported that he was directly in talks with the company's board.But ultimately, after a lot of back and forth, the board of directors stood by its decision to push Altman out. Early this morning, OpenAI named Emmett Shear, a former executive at Twitch, as the new interim chief executive. But many are still wondering what happens if Altman decides to leave and start a new company—something that is being discussed seriously. Many of staffers would assuredly go with him.Before this ouster fiasco, tensions had been rising at OpenAI as the company's profile soared. For weeks, tensions had boiled around the rapid expansion of the company's commercial offerings, which some board members felt violated OpenAI's initial charter to develop safe A.I. In particular, one founder and respected A.I. researcher, had grown increasingly worried that their technology could be dangerous and that Altman was not paying enough attention to that risk. I asked ChatGPT what it thought would happen and it simply said that it “likely didn't have up-to-date information” and suggested I “check Altman's LinkedIn profile.” Cryptic. Well played OpenAI.
FYI:
Altman helped found OpenAI in 2015, with help from Elon Musk.
Is a Hostage Deal Imminent?
Any breakthrough is expected to lead to a multi-day pause in Israel’s offensive in Gaza
The U.S. and Qatar, working with Israeli and Hamas negotiators, signaled Sunday evening that they are closing in on a deal to release some of the hostages taken during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in exchange for a pause in fighting, sources familiar with the negotiations told NBC News, though they caution nothing has been finalized yet. The U.S. said work continued toward a deal.Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said that he is confident a deal is close and the gaps between the parties are small and mostly of logistical nature. Any breakthrough is expected to lead to a multi-day pause in Israel's offensive on Gaza and an increase of urgently needed aid into the coastal enclave that is enduring a deepening humanitarian crisis, according to the World Health Organization.The plight of about 240 hostages has exacerbated the trauma of Israelis, and become a politically sensitive issue for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he pushes ahead with the offensive against Hamas, while families of the captives have pressured his government to do more to secure their freedom. U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer said Washington believed it was “closer than we have been to reaching a final agreement,” adding that many areas of difference that “previously existed have been narrowed”.
FYI:
Jewish voters face a politically uncertain future, as some see an “anti-Israel” sentiment from some left-wing Democrats.
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Biden’s Birthday
For the oldest president, candles on the cake are adding to a problem
Anyone over 35 knows that birthdays can be, well, bittersweet at best. But that feeling has to be amplified when you're the oldest president in American history, right? As Joe Biden celebrates turning 81 today, the occasion will highlight how age has become his greatest liability entering the final campaign of his 53-year political career. There is no age limit for elected federal office holders—ultimately voters decide that—but the “age issue” has continued to dog this president. Polls have found even Democratic voters wondering if he is getting too old for the job.Biden was already the oldest president ever on the day he took the oath. But now, with a year to run on his current term, Biden is also asking voters for four more beyond that—which would bring him to 86. The Wall Street Journal became the latest major publisher to highlight the president's age over the weekend, calling it “an act of profound selfishness.” However, his administration is attempting to embrace his age as a mark of wisdom. Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman, told the Telegraph that Biden “has used his deep experience to deliver unprecedented benefits.”
Meanwhile:
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis once again touted the ages of both Biden and Donald Trump as a reason neither should be re-elected in 2024.
How Do You Restore a Banksy Mural?
And more importantly, Should You?
In 2019, the enigmatic street artist Banksy painted a mural on the walls of an abandoned Venetian palace. Titled Migrant Child, the work is a commentary on the refugee crisis: It depicts a young migrant in a life jacket holding up a flare emitting pink smoke, and it's become a major tourist attraction for the city. Since it appeared four years ago, Migrant Child has faded due to “humidity, high water and salt,” according to a statement from Italy's culture ministry.Now, officials have announced plans to restore the mural. But reaction to the news has been mixed, to put it mildly. As Julia Binswanger of Smithsonian Magazine reports, some in the art world feel that this action is missing the point—and that Banksy's murals should be allowed to decay naturally over time. However, Marco Goldin, an Italian art critic, tells Corriere del Veneto, “As an advocate of conservation, I would say that the work should be detached from the wall, protected and exhibited in safe conditions,” per Google Translate. “On the other hand, if I put myself in the artist's shoes, I don't think this is the idea with which his works were born.”The fact that this is a Banksy further complicates the matter, considering all the secrecy and mystery surrounding any of the artist's work. But as InsideHook points out, it also seems likely that the same issues being raised by this one mural in Venice will come up more and more in the coming years as more of Banksy's public art becomes at risk.
Dig Deeper:
Banksy's identity is one of the contemporary art world’s biggest mysteries. Here are five likely scenarios experts theorize.
In Other News
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Morning Motto
Embrace the mistakes.
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