#7/24 on the commercialization of AI, commitment in a traditional company, and a question of price

Dear Readers,

I admit, I sometimes also tend to click where I don't have to think. This newsletter does sometimes contain rather tough topics. Therefore, to start with, not quite a cat video, but something trivial about me: The tech magazine t3n wanted to know without which five objects I cannot live. See for yourself here:  https://t3n.de/news/deepl-und-scholargpt-tools-die-felix-oldenburg-im-arbeitsalltag-braucht-1645576/

Speaking of entertainment, there is a quiz question at the very bottom of this newsletter!

Best regards, Felix

A number that sticks in your mind: $157 billion

That is how much the most valuable non-profit organisation in the world is worth: OpenAI. At least, if you take the latest funding round of $6.6 billion as a basis. But wait a minute, how is that even possible for a non-profit organisation? It is possible, because for a few years now there has been a for-profit subsidiary, in which Microsoft and others have invested heavily to make ChatGPT so good. At least, however, the parent company was still clearly bound to social goals. Now, CEO Sam Altman wants to turn what is perhaps the most important technological force of our time entirely into a commercial organisation. That, by the way, would be quite legally challenging in Germany …

I find this not only a pity, but worrying. A good part of the leadership team agrees and has just left. It may be inconvenient to align mission and market. Is there no other way in view of the necessary investments? Would the path of Wikipedia have been an alternative, running their product from a foundation and giving the idea freely to the community?

A person who inspires me: Christina Flügel

Being visible is worth a lot to most in our social media age. What a step it is, though, to step out of a tradition of restraint and show oneself with commitment, that is what I see in Christina Flügel. She owns a good third of Mast Jägermeister SE. As with many family businesses, the product is meant to be in the foreground.

But together with her family, Christina has set out on the path of sustainability. She is rethinking asset investment, donating and creating foundations online, and she has also accepted the challenge of speaking publicly about it. Now she has spoken for the first time with Handelsblatt and at the same time on our podcast “Das Neue Geben”.

An idea to think further

I walk past the Brandenburg Gate at least once a week. I have been here for the Berlin Marathon, danced to techno, listened to Barack Obama, cheered on the national team at the public viewing. Let's imagine we were to line up the population facing west according to the size of their wealth (1m=€1,000, the idea is adapted from Harald Schumann). Then half of the German population would have to crowd right in front of the Brandenburg Gate. And millions of people are standing on the other side of the gate, on Pariser Platz. They have more debts than positive assets. If they look west, the Victory Column tower rises up, which is over a kilometre away. Anyone standing five hundred metres in front of it already belongs to the wealthiest ten per cent. Anyone arriving at the Olympic Stadium five kilometres away would at least have a standing spot. At the city border of Berlin stand the “Ultra High Net Worths” with over twenty million euros.

Manager Magazin has just published the rich list once again. For the first time, it also features more on the topic of giving, thanks to the commitment of editor Simone Salden, who will soon be speaking about this on the podcast.

Where would the richest person be found on the map according to this lineup❓ The first person to reply to this email with the name of the city closest to it will win a prize. (Please stay on the latitude of Berlin)