Impactfully No. 71: Social impact upends an AI darling
This week, Checkerspot brings sustainability to snow sports, OpenClassrooms gives online learning the personal touch, and PCC improves the quality of pediatric care.
There's drama in the world of AI this week. You might think that has nothing to do with social impact, but it seems that social impact was precisely the issue that led the OpenAI board to fire its chief executive on Friday.
You might know OpenAI for ChatGPT, the generative AI product released roughly one year ago to mass success. It kicked off a technological arms race, creating an existential crisis for Google and bringing billions of dollars of investment to a smattering of Silicon Valley startups vying to commercialize AI quickly. OpenAI's CEO, Sam Altman, is practically the face of AI worldwide and has deep connections in tech circles from his time at Y Combinator.
Against that backdrop, it was astonishing on Friday when he was pushed out of the company. It appears that the board had concerns that OpenAI's rapid pace of deployment could have an adverse impact on the public interest. This runs counter to the nonprofit's mission: to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.
Evidently the company has been here before, minus the public fallout. We've included one of OpenAI's competitors, Anthropic, in the newsletter in the past – turns out Anthropic got its start after a group of OpenAI employees wanted to take a more deliberative approach to AI development. Anthropic is a public benefit corporation, meaning it must balance shareholder value with social impact. Given the news over the weekend, it feels prudent to highlight them again.
If you're not into tech or AI, it's still worth taking note of what happened and why. There's a reason the tech world is all over this – we're looking at the emergence of the next big thing, and the people who control it will have immeasurable impact over the coming decades.
Onwards, to this week's job opportunities:
Anthropic is one of the most well-regarded names in artificial intelligence and a leader in AI safety. True to their public benefit corporation status, they're passionate about ensuring that AI is used for good; one of the ways they do so is by collaborating with government and academic organizations on AI policy that advances safety.
- HR Business Partner – San Francisco, CA
- Product Manager, Generalist – San Francisco, CA
- Prompt Engineer & Librarian – San Francisco, CA
- Research Scientist, Societal Impacts – San Francisco, CA
- Account Manager – San Francisco, CA
- Solutions Architect – San Francisco, CA
- IT Engineer – San Francisco, CA
- Technical Program Manager, Security – San Francisco, CA
- Head of Product Communications – San Francisco, CA
- Product Designer – San Francisco, CA
Checkerspot is a biotechnology company creating alternatives to petroleum-based materials so they have less of an impact on the planet. They have a platform for other companies to use those materials, but they've also spun out a consumer brand that makes snow sport equipment using algae-based materials.
- Fulfillment and Customer Service Specialist – Salt Lake City, UT
- Senior IT Specialist – Salt Lake City, UT
- Sales Manager, B2B Materials – Salt Lake City, UT
- Research Associate, Molecular Biology & Strain Improvement – Alameda, CA
- Operations Specialist – Salt Lake City, UT
- Polymer Chemist – Pittsburg, KS
Fors Marsh is a change management consultancy focused on social impact. Joining their team means tackling some of the toughest problems to make the world a better place, and they have solid employee benefits including paid volunteering and remote work.
- Account Coordinator, Resilience Communications – Arlington, VA
- Resilience Program Manager – Arlington, VA
- Managing Researcher, Data Strategy and Use – Remote
- Survey Research Analyst, Military Personnel & Family Research – Remote
- Quantitative Researcher, Military Health and Wellbeing – Remote
- Senior Researcher, Organizational Research and Consulting – Remote
- Research Associate, Organizational Research and Consulting – Remote
- Research Analyst, Data Strategy and Audience Analytics – Remote
- Senior Proposal Specialist, Growth – Remote
- Business Development Manager, Growth – Remote
Orbit Media Studios is a web design and development agency that helps businesses create high-quality websites. They offer a wide range of services, including website design, development, SEO, and content marketing, which is reflected in the roles below. If you're a whiz at the underpinnings of internet search, give this Certified B Corp a look.
- Senior SEO/CRO Strategist – Remote
- Website Content Coordinator – Remote
- Analytics Engineer – Remote
Learning Pool creates workplace learning tools to help companies invest in their employees' career development. I don't know if it's because they're based in the UK or not, but their benefits are off the charts. Definitely check them out if you enjoy education and have sales experience.
- Sales Development Representative – Remote
- Implementation Specialist – Remote
Second Front Systems is a public benefit corporation that's on a mission to accelerate the delivery of emerging technologies to the U.S. and Allied warfighters. Having worked in defense for much of my career, I can say it's a rewarding way to serve those who serve us – the fact that Second Front Systems has an even stronger alignment with social impact is a plus.
- Director of Marketing – Remote
- Account Executive, SMB – Remote
- Enterprise Solutions Engineer – Remote
- Technical Implementation Manager – Remote
- Senior Software Engineer – Remote
- Cybersecurity Assessment Engineer – Remote
- SkillBridge Intern – Remote
Kickstarter is on a mission to help bring creative projects to life, from music and films to books and food. All of their roles are fully remote, so you're free to support creatives from wherever it suits you. They are also one of the few companies we know of that has employee resource groups to help everyone connect on the issues that matter to them.
- Engineering Manager, Mobile Applications – Remote
- Senior iOS Engineer – Remote
- Data Scientist – Remote
OpenClassrooms is an online school that offers a wide variety of courses on in-demand skills, from coding and web development to business and management. People can take courses online at their own pace, but they have dedicated mentoring and a Slack group for support – pretty unique for an online learning platform.
- Senior Program Manager, U.S. Accreditation and Compliance – Remote
- U.S. Customer Success Manager – Remote
Creative Energies is a certified B Corp that designs, installs, and maintains solar energy systems for homes and businesses in Utah and Wyoming. You can find solar energy companies just about anywhere – you'll want to give this one a look if you enjoy the outdoors. They support off-grid installations in addition to the usual residential and commercial options.
- Technical Solar Sales & Marketing Manager – Salt Lake City, UT
- Communications Support Specialist – Salt Lake City, UT
PCC makes a top-rated electronic health record system specifically designed for pediatricians. EHRs help providers streamline their practice management tasks so they can provide better care to patients, which is especially important when you're talking about pediatric care.
I was trying to remember why Winooski sounded familiar – turns out I was there the last time I traveled to Burlington. It's a very cool little town, and if the rest of the area is any guide, you'd find a lot of like-minded change agents nearby.
- Web Application Developer – Winooski, VT
- Sales Consultant – Winooski, VT
💡 Job source of the week: Fifth Wall
Fifth Wall is a Certified B Corp investment firm that focuses on the real estate industry – investing in companies that tackle the challenges facing the spaces in which we live and work. As you might expect, that means there are companies in their portfolio working on climate change, sustainability, affordable lending, and more. I've linked to the job board they maintain for their portfolio companies – they even have an option to filter based on your interests.
AI has had quite the year, and it's just getting started. I'd love to hear your thoughts – how might we use it to make a difference?
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