I was the first venture investor in OpenAI, and my experience with the company has made me realize how important it is for companies to have the right board members. While fancy titles like “Director of Strategy at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology” may give a false sense of understanding of the complex process of entrepreneurial innovation, what really matters is the actions and beliefs of the board members. In the case of OpenAI, the misapplication of their religion of “effective altruism” could have set back progress towards artificial intelligence and its potential benefits. Imagine a world where everyone has access to free doctors and tutors thanks to AI. The promise of AI is truly amazing, but it takes good founders like Sam Altman to lead and execute on this vision while taking risks head-on and remaining focused on making the world a better place. Despite potential risks and abuses, having good founders is worth it for the tremendous benefits they bring to society.