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Comment by jimmySixDOF | Hacker News Reader

Rony Abovitz, the founding energy behind Magic Leap, does this 'AI/XR Podcast' and last episode they discussed OpenAI rumors about a Social Network. As a founder himself who lived through being flavor of the day getting showered with venture money his observation was prescient: this 'I can do anything' approach is what happens to a certain kind of person (who will "eat everything on the table" is how he phrased it) given all checks and no balances.

He contrasted that with someone like Jenson who pulled Nvidia off of a cliff more than once and so has the scartissue to limit his reach to keep focus on core business.

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> eat everything on the table

OpenAI probably senses they're not making ASI anytime soon. They have enough money to will themselves into a FAANG by essentially minting consumer and enterprise products. That could secure their long term future and returns.

Prediction: they burn through Microsoft’s loans buying social networks and browsers, and then when Microsoft stops writing checks microsoft acquire what’s left

Or someone else. They could definitely go the acqui-hire route.

I suspect that was the plan all along. I do not buy that these people believed in their own spiel for one second.

> the founding energy behind Magic Leap

So a scammer?

Great podcast!

> scar tissue*

I got excited first thinking I’m starting my day off right by learning a new word, but nope :-)

> given all checks and no balances.

Do you mean no checks and balances? A check is a restriction or constraint.

I suspect this may be a play on words where checks = cheque, or money

"Balance" also has a financial meaning…

I am stating the obvious to clarify: cheques without balances is an overdraft. You give a piece of paper that can't be exchanged for money when promised.

I don’t think that the saying has anything to do with money. It’s about power, oversight and preventing overreach. Of course, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t used in reference to money by the OP.

Yeah I thought this was possible too that's one of the reasons I asked

I checked to see if that pun occurs elsewhere and didn't see it. Someone who doesn't have English as a first language may not know the more obscure usage of check since you don't use it much these days other than as part of phrases and idioms like "checks and balances", which is 18th century English

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