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Today, Explained

OpenAI owes us $180 billion

March 25, 2026
OpenAI owes us $180 billion

OpenAI's founders promised its tech would benefit humanity. Now that it has split into a giant charity and a for-profit company, that mission has gotten complicated.

This episode was produced by Danielle Hewitt, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Andrea López-Cruzado, engineered by Patrick Boyd and David Tatasciore, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram. This episode was produced in partnership with Vox's Future Perfect.

Disclosure: Vox Media is one of several publishers that have signed partnership agreements with OpenAI. Our reporting remains editorially independent.

Photo Illustration by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images.

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