Elon Musk Challenger George Hotz Reacts To Former Tesla Autopilot Director's OpenAI Jump: 'Don't Work For Darth Vader, Man'

Renowned hacker George Hotz recently shared his take on Andrej Karpathy’s departure from Tesla Inc. TSLA to join OpenAI in a podcast interview with Lex Fridman.

What Happened: Hotz, who rose to fame by challenging Tesla’s Autopilot software in 2015, engaged in an intriguing conversation with Fridman, providing witty commentary on Karpathy’s career move.

See Also: Elon Musk Says He’s A ‘Huge Idiot’ For Letting ChatGPT And OpenAI Go, But Claims To Be The Brains Behind Them

Hotz acknowledged Karpathy’s exceptional talent, admiring the superior quality of his work compared to his own. 

However, when Fridman brought up Karpathy’s new position at OpenAI, Hotz playfully warned against the decision, invoking the iconic "Star Wars" villain's name. “Don’t go work for Darth Vader, man.”

Watch the complete video here: 

In February this year, Karpathy, who had taken a career break after resigning as Tesla's director of AI in mid-May 2022, revealed on Twitter that he would be joining OpenAI, a company initially established as a non-profit by Elon Musk. 

It is worth noting that Musk stepped down from OpenAI’s board in 2018, citing potential conflicts with Tesla’s AI initiatives. The news of Karpathy’s decision came when OpenAI was making headlines due to its notable partnership with Microsoft Corporation MSFT.

Why It's Important: While Hotz’s comment was made in a lighthearted manner, it shed light on his concerns regarding OpenAI’s practices, including the organization’s approach to sharing AI weights and their alleged involvement in government affairs. 

Hotz’s remarks also hinted at the ideological differences within the tech community and the varying perspectives on the future of organizations like OpenAI.

For the unversed, on Wednesday, Musk launched its latest venture, xAI, which came on the heels of his previously expressed dissatisfaction with the perceived liberal bias of OpenAI's popular chatbot, chatGPT. 

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