Sam Altman-led OpenAI is in early talks with the California attorney general's office to change its corporate structure in a bid to become a for-profit business, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing two people familiar with the matter.
OpenAI and a representative for the California Attorney General did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
A shift to being a for-profit company would mark a drastic reversal in governance structure for the AI pioneer, which was founded in 2015 as a non-profit AI research lab.
However, the move would make the firm more attractive to investors.
Reuters first reported in September that Microsoft-backed OpenAI was working on a plan to restructure its core business into a for-profit benefit corporation no longer governed by its non-profit board.
The OpenAI non-profit will continue to exist and own a minority stake in the for-profit company, sources then told Reuters.
Last month, the ChatGPT maker closed a US$6.6 billion funding round, which could value the company at US$157 billion and cement its position as one of the most valuable private companies in the world.
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