Pressure Mounts on OpenAI Member, Ogunlesi, to Halt Firm’s Profit-driven Transition 

   • As global campaign against move gains momentum

Kasim Sumaina in Abuja 

A rapidly growing global campaign, backed by over 110,000 people is calling on OpenAI’s newest board member, Adebayo Ogunlesi, to block the company’s transition to a for-profit model. 

Ogunlesi, a prominent Nigerian billionaire and investment banker, joined OpenAI’s board in January 2025.

Campaigners from the People For AI Coalition argue that OpenAI Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Sam Altman, should not be allowed to transition OpenAI to a public benefit corporation, handing over decisions about one of the most powerful and potentially dangerous technologies to a handful of investors driven by profits.

Tech Accountability Campaigner, Mr. Maen Hammad, in a statement hinted that alongside the petition, new polling showed widespread public concern over the risks of AI technologies. 

He opined that in a poll conducted in California, US, where the company is based, a clear majority wanted the state’s top lawyer to block the transition. 

According to him, “Ogunlesi’s appointment was hailed as a progressive step forward for diversity in global tech governance—now, advocates are urging him to rise to the moment. 

“OpenAI’s board wields immense influence over the company’s direction and bears responsibility for ensuring AI remains aligned with its original mission of serving the public good.”

On the news of OpenAI making promises to stay non-profit as of May 5th, a coalition member, and Ekō Executive Director, Emma Ruby-Sachs, said: “OpenAI’s announcement to reverse course is a welcome step in the right direction. This transition would have placed one of the world’s most powerful AI companies in the hands of investors who are only interested in maximizing profit, and would sideline OpenAI’s mission to develop AI for the good of humanity.

“The company being controlled and overseen by the non-profit should ensure that decisions about this potentially revolutionary technology will be driven by that mission, not by greed. It should ensure a legal obligation to ensure that if OpenAI develops AGI, it’s done safely and to the benefit of all – not the benefit of investors. And it should ensure that the public financial support that helped build OpenAI will continue to be protected and used to public ends.

“Concerns about OpenAI’s global impact are growing, including in Nigeria, where generative AI tools fuelled disinformation during the 2023 presidential elections, spreading falsehoods and deepening distrust. 

“But the devil is in the details. For one, removing the profit cap means more tech execs and investors getting obscenely rich from this technology. This makes it even more critical for the board to ensure that control of OpenAI’s day-to-day operations has its primary, legally enforceable fiduciary duty to the mission.

“This is not just a Silicon Valley issue—it is a global one. Decisions made in tech boardrooms have far-reaching consequences, particularly in countries like Nigeria and across the Global South, where the harms of unregulated technology are often most acute.”

According to Sachs, “In this context, Mr. Ogunlesi’s role on the board carries significant weight and global responsibility. The campaign is also pressuring the Attorneys General of California and Delaware, who have jurisdiction over the company’s nonprofit structure, to block the transition. 

“If allowed to proceed, the restructuring could pave the way for CEO Sam Altman to gain significantly through equity tied to the for-profit model, while reducing the nonprofit’s influence to a minority role.

“Adebayo Ogunlesi has the power to stop the transition and uphold the company’s founding public-interest mission.”