Source: Caixin
Editor: Shi Zhengcheng
In the early hours of Thursday Beijing time, OpenAI quietly announced on its official website that it has acquired the startup company Global Illumination and will integrate the entire team under its umbrella. The new members have already begun participating in the development of core products, including ChatGPT.
(Source: Social Media)
This transaction marks OpenAI's first public acquisition since its founding in 2015, and the specific terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
In fact, in the past few years, OpenAI has not had much money for acquisitions. Besides artificial intelligence, the company is best known for its massive losses. According to reports, OpenAI's overall losses doubled to $540 million in 2022. However, considering that Microsoft invested another $10 billion in OpenAI earlier this year, OpenAI's financial situation should have improved enough to afford some acquisitions.
What does Global Illumination do?
Global Illumination is a startup founded in 2021 by Thomas Dimson, Taylor Gordon, and Joey Flynn in New York, all of whom previously worked at Instagram under Mark Zuckerberg. The company's main business is using artificial intelligence to create clever tools, digital infrastructure, and digital experiences.
The most well-known figure in this entrepreneurial team is CEO Thomas Dimson, who resigned from his position as head of development at Instagram before starting this venture. Some of the features that were born under his leadership include Instagram's feed ranking algorithm, the "Explore" tab experience, story poll stickers, and the Hyperlapse time-lapse photography software.
In addition to Dimson, the company's website also lists information about several other employees, indicating that the team is not very large.
(Source: Global Illumination)
For Global Illumination, their most recent project is a large-scale open-source multiplayer online sandbox game called Biomes, which runs on web browsers. Based on the teaser trailer released on the website, the style is similar to the world's top-selling game "Minecraft." It is currently unclear whether this game will continue to be developed after the acquisition.
(Source: Biomes)
Based on Global Illumination's past product experiences, the company seems to be highly focused on visual products and services. This also suggests that OpenAI may provide additional multimedia features for ChatGPT, or launch a video generation service to compete with Runway. The team members also have development experience with Instagram, YouTube, Google, Pixar Animation, and Riot Games, which is an important addition for OpenAI, which lacks experience in consumer products.
With ChatGPT gaining sudden popularity in terms of technology and attention, OpenAI is also pursuing commercial success. According to reports, Sam Altman once told investors that the company hopes to achieve $200 million in revenue this year and double it to $1 billion in 2024.
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