Makes me wonder if that 20% compute commitment to superalignment research was walked back (or redesigned so as to be distant from the original mission). Or, perhaps the two deemed that even more commitment was necessary, and were dissatisfied with Altman's response.
Either way, if it's enough to cause them both to think it's better to research outside of the opportunities and access to data that OpenAI provides, I don't see a scenario where this doesn't indicate a significant shift in OpenAI's commitment to superalignment research and safety. One hopes that, at the very least, Microsoft's interests in brand integrity incentivize at least some modicum of continued commitment to safety research.
Either way, if it's enough to cause them both to think it's better to research outside of the opportunities and access to data that OpenAI provides, I don't see a scenario where this doesn't indicate a significant shift in OpenAI's commitment to superalignment research and safety. One hopes that, at the very least, Microsoft's interests in brand integrity incentivize at least some modicum of continued commitment to safety research.