Phil Schiller's observer role on OpenAI's board may strengthen Apple-OpenAI ties
With Apple Intelligence, ChatGPT support is also to be introduced on iPhone, iPad and Mac. There is now a direct management connection for this.
Phil Schiller was once Apple's powerful head of marketing, today he is still involved in day-to-day business as an "Apple Fellow".
(Image: dpa, Screenshot: Apple)
Following Apple's decision to at least partially partner with OpenAI in Apple Intelligence, there will now also be more intensive cooperation at a business level. As the financial news agency Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, there are plans to give Apple's once powerful global head of marketing Phil Schiller a special position on the OpenAI Board of Directors.
On an equal footing with Microsoft - without investment
The plan is for Schiller, who currently works as an "Apple Fellow" and is still responsible for the App Store, to become a so-called Board Observer. This means that he will not be a direct member of the OpenAI Supervisory Board, but will at least be able to attend meetings as an observer. Interestingly, this is the same position that Microsoft holds at OpenAI – and the company has already invested many billions in OpenAI, while apparently no money is flowing into the Apple deal.
Schiller's new part-time job will apparently start this year, Bloomberg continues. However, he has not yet been spotted at OpenAI. The plans have apparently not yet been finalized. Like Microsoft's "Board Observer", Schiller will also attend supervisory board meetings, but will not have the vote or other powers of a real supervisory board. However, by being present, Apple should learn how OpenAI ticks internally. Whether this will lead to conflicts with Microsoft remains to be seen. It is conceivable that planned OpenAI initiatives will be discussed with the software giant without Schiller. That would not be unusual.
Wild supervisory board at OpenAI
The Supervisory Board at OpenAI has a rather wild reputation - at least in its old composition. The board, which can act much more independently than a board of directors of a purely commercial company, led to the temporary dismissal of CEO Sam Altman in 2023. OpenAI was once structured as a non-profit to create secure general artificial intelligence (AGI) for of humanity. However, the company now has a strong commercial focus, which AI safety experts do not like at all.
Schiller is now 64 years old and stepped down as Apple's Head of Marketing in 2020. Since then, he has been an "Apple Fellow" and has Apple's keynotes in his portfolio, as well as the App Store. He is also a member of the supervisory board of the medical company Illumina. Apple is not only interested in working with OpenAI. In the future, other AI models are also set to become part of iOS and Co, including those from Google or Baidu / Alibaba in China. AI features are also to be partially chargeable.
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