The whole thing was a scam

Gary Marcus's article, titled 'The whole thing was a scam,' appears to expose questionable dealings within the artificial intelligence sector, particularly focusing on how political connections and donations may be swaying lucrative government contracts. Although the full content of the Substack post is not provided, the title and Hacker News comments strongly indicate that Marcus scrutinizes the actions of key industry players like Sam Altman and companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic in their pursuit of Pentagon deals.

• Allegations of Political Influence: The piece likely details instances where political donations, such as a significant contribution to a Trump PAC, are linked to favorable contract outcomes for OpenAI.
• Contrasting Pentagon Deals: It probably compares the terms of agreements between the Pentagon and OpenAI versus Anthropic, suggesting that Altman's approach, potentially involving leveraging connections, resulted in an unfair advantage or undermined a competitor.
• Ethical Scrutiny of Altman: The article likely highlights a perceived hypocrisy or cutthroat business practice, noting that Altman reportedly offered public support to Anthropic's CEO while simultaneously working to secure business that would disadvantage them.
• Broader Oligarchical Concerns: Marcus likely uses this specific case to argue that the United States is seeing a degradation of rule of law, with crony capitalism replacing market competition, leading to a system where influence and connections dictate success.

Ultimately, the article serves as a critical examination of the intertwined worlds of cutting-edge technology, powerful corporate figures, and governmental decision-making, positing that the 'scam' reveals a deeper systemic issue of corruption and the erosion of fair play in the American economy.