# MIT Technology Review’s The Download on OpenAI and a bitcoin-heated spa [Canonical reading](https://escapemeridian.com/readings/mit-technology-review-s-the-download-on-openai-and-a-bitcoin-7d1fa41b) MIT Technology Review published this edition of The Download on May 19, 2025. Executive editor Niall Firth recounts how Karen Hao’s reporting on OpenAI developed into a story about the company’s ambition moving far from its original mission. He describes the story as a look at OpenAI at a tipping point, or possibly already past it, and says Hao’s book explores the company and what the AI arms race means for everyone. The newsletter also describes Bathhouse’s use of cryptocurrency-mining computers to generate bitcoins and heat its pools, hammams and showers. It says cofounder Jason Goodman turned to mining after opening the spa’s first location with conventional pool heaters. Another featured item says the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is expected to study the cosmos in high resolution and might narrow theories about dark matter and dark energy. What dark matter and dark energy are remains an open question. Headline and summary by Escape Meridian, prepared by Luna from the attributed source. A source check is not independent confirmation of the source’s claims. ## Original source MIT Technology Review · Article Original source date: May 19, 2025 (2025-05-19T12:10:00Z). Date basis: Date from the publisher’s own records, through its API. Added to Escape Meridian: 2026-11-14T01:03:22.980Z. First observed: 2026-10-30T15:04:17.280Z. Retrieved: 2026-10-31T02:28:00.850Z. - [The Download: chaos at OpenAI, and the spa heated by bitcoin mining](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/19/1116740/the-download-chaos-at-openai-and-the-spa-heated-by-bitcoin-mining/) ## Limits Text as retrieved on October 31, 2026; originally published May 19, 2025. This is an archived copy. The Bathhouse item links to a full story, but that story and its evidence about the spa’s arrangement are not included in the retrieved text. The newsletter describes Hao’s reporting and book but does not include the full OpenAI story or the book excerpt. ## Open question What evidence does the full Bathhouse story give about how mining heats the spa and how that arrangement affects its business? ## Source-stated Niall Firth says Karen Hao’s reporting on OpenAI revealed that the company’s ambition had moved far from its original mission. > eventually revealing how OpenAI’s ambition had taken it far afield from its original mission. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/19/1116740/the-download-chaos-at-openai-and-the-spa-heated-by-bitcoin-mining/) ## Source-stated Firth describes Hao’s story as a look at OpenAI at a tipping point, or possibly already past it. > a prescient look at a company at a tipping point—or already past it. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/19/1116740/the-download-chaos-at-openai-and-the-spa-heated-by-bitcoin-mining/) ## Source-stated The newsletter says computers at Bathhouse generate bitcoins and heat the spa’s pools, marble hammams and showers. > a closet full of cryptocurrency-­mining computers that not only generate bitcoins but also heat the spa’s pools, marble hammams, and showers. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/19/1116740/the-download-chaos-at-openai-and-the-spa-heated-by-bitcoin-mining/) ## Source-stated The newsletter says Jason Goodman initially used conventional pool heaters and later saw a place for cryptocurrency mining in the business. > When cofounder Jason Goodman opened Bathhouse’s first location in Williamsburg in 2019, he used conventional pool heaters. But after diving deep into the world of bitcoin, he realized he could fit cryptocurrency mining seamlessly into his business. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/19/1116740/the-download-chaos-at-openai-and-the-spa-heated-by-bitcoin-mining/) ## Source-stated The newsletter says the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is expected to study the cosmos in high resolution and might narrow existing theories about dark matter and dark energy. > Rubin is expected to study the cosmos in the highest resolution yet once it begins observations later this year. And with a better window on the cosmic battle between dark matter and dark energy, Rubin might narrow down existing theories on what they are made of. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/19/1116740/the-download-chaos-at-openai-and-the-spa-heated-by-bitcoin-mining/) ## Source and contributor context MIT Technology Review · Publisher The publisher is identified here. No individual author has been inferred. ## Source media Media retrieval status: unchecked. ## Terms and references Reference context selected by Escape Meridian; separate from source evidence. Entity mentions do not establish authorship, involvement or endorsement. ## OpenAI OpenAI develops AI models and products and publishes research, release announcements and evaluations. - [Explore this context](/entities/openai) - [Reference](https://openai.com/news/) ## Editorial provenance Version 1. Publication ID: 9241350e-1247-f046-7fa7-2ec74305f0f5. Prepared by openai/gpt-6-luna; grounding review by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5. Source check: uncertain by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5 on 2026-11-14T00:58:24.732Z. This checks fidelity to the source, not whether its claims are independently true. Editorial selection: accept; reasons: bridge\_admitted\_by\_model, second\_opinion\_categorical. Observation: e84593f7f0ee1c5c29a5258b973c46ef8a870063d7675e546646a51d3c8bd066. Source text hash: e217feb5d6bccf5dd5349b19cd5fda5ac248c954e5b9bb8cf8f812fa626aca07. ## Revision and source-check history ### Version 1 — 2026-11-14T01:03:22.980Z MIT Technology Review published this edition of The Download on May 19, 2025. Executive editor Niall Firth recounts how Karen Hao’s reporting on OpenAI developed into a story about the company’s ambition moving far from its original mission. He describes the story as a look at OpenAI at a tipping point, or possibly already past it, and says Hao’s book explores the company and what the AI arms race means for everyone. The newsletter also describes Bathhouse’s use of cryptocurrency-mining computers to generate bitcoins and heat its pools, hammams and showers. It says cofounder Jason Goodman turned to mining after opening the spa’s first location with conventional pool heaters. Another featured item says the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is expected to study the cosmos in high resolution and might narrow theories about dark matter and dark energy. What dark matter and dark energy are remains an open question. ## Original source MIT Technology Review · Article Original source date: May 19, 2025 (2025-05-19T12:10:00Z). Date basis: Date from the publisher’s own records, through its API. Added to Escape Meridian: 2026-11-14T01:03:22.980Z. First observed: 2026-10-30T15:04:17.280Z. Retrieved: 2026-10-31T02:28:00.850Z. - [The Download: chaos at OpenAI, and the spa heated by bitcoin mining](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/19/1116740/the-download-chaos-at-openai-and-the-spa-heated-by-bitcoin-mining/) ## Limits Text as retrieved on October 31, 2026; originally published May 19, 2025. This is an archived copy. The Bathhouse item links to a full story, but that story and its evidence about the spa’s arrangement are not included in the retrieved text. The newsletter describes Hao’s reporting and book but does not include the full OpenAI story or the book excerpt. ## Open question What evidence does the full Bathhouse story give about how mining heats the spa and how that arrangement affects its business? ## Source-stated Niall Firth says Karen Hao’s reporting on OpenAI revealed that the company’s ambition had moved far from its original mission. > eventually revealing how OpenAI’s ambition had taken it far afield from its original mission. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/19/1116740/the-download-chaos-at-openai-and-the-spa-heated-by-bitcoin-mining/) ## Source-stated Firth describes Hao’s story as a look at OpenAI at a tipping point, or possibly already past it. > a prescient look at a company at a tipping point—or already past it. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/19/1116740/the-download-chaos-at-openai-and-the-spa-heated-by-bitcoin-mining/) ## Source-stated The newsletter says computers at Bathhouse generate bitcoins and heat the spa’s pools, marble hammams and showers. > a closet full of cryptocurrency-­mining computers that not only generate bitcoins but also heat the spa’s pools, marble hammams, and showers. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/19/1116740/the-download-chaos-at-openai-and-the-spa-heated-by-bitcoin-mining/) ## Source-stated The newsletter says Jason Goodman initially used conventional pool heaters and later saw a place for cryptocurrency mining in the business. > When cofounder Jason Goodman opened Bathhouse’s first location in Williamsburg in 2019, he used conventional pool heaters. But after diving deep into the world of bitcoin, he realized he could fit cryptocurrency mining seamlessly into his business. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/19/1116740/the-download-chaos-at-openai-and-the-spa-heated-by-bitcoin-mining/) ## Source-stated The newsletter says the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is expected to study the cosmos in high resolution and might narrow existing theories about dark matter and dark energy. > Rubin is expected to study the cosmos in the highest resolution yet once it begins observations later this year. And with a better window on the cosmic battle between dark matter and dark energy, Rubin might narrow down existing theories on what they are made of. - [Supporting source](https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/19/1116740/the-download-chaos-at-openai-and-the-spa-heated-by-bitcoin-mining/) ## Source and contributor context MIT Technology Review · Publisher The publisher is identified here. No individual author has been inferred. ## Source media Media retrieval status: unchecked. ## Terms and references Reference context selected by Escape Meridian; separate from source evidence. Entity mentions do not establish authorship, involvement or endorsement. ## OpenAI OpenAI develops AI models and products and publishes research, release announcements and evaluations. - [Explore this context](/entities/openai) - [Reference](https://openai.com/news/) ## Editorial provenance Version 1. Publication ID: 9241350e-1247-f046-7fa7-2ec74305f0f5. Prepared by openai/gpt-6-luna; grounding review by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5. Source check: uncertain by anthropic/claude-opus-5.5 on 2026-11-14T00:58:24.732Z. This checks fidelity to the source, not whether its claims are independently true. Editorial selection: accept; reasons: bridge\_admitted\_by\_model, second\_opinion\_categorical. Observation: e84593f7f0ee1c5c29a5258b973c46ef8a870063d7675e546646a51d3c8bd066. Source text hash: e217feb5d6bccf5dd5349b19cd5fda5ac248c954e5b9bb8cf8f812fa626aca07. ### uncertain — 2026-11-14T00:58:24.732Z — anthropic/claude-opus-5.5 Publication: 9241350e-1247-f046-7fa7-2ec74305f0f5 attribution — pass: This is one newsletter edition from MIT Technology Review that comments on several items in its own words, not a bare listing. The reading correctly attributes the OpenAI item to executive editor Niall Firth and the Bathhouse and Rubin items to the newsletter. It does not present Firth's characterisations as established fact. > —Niall Firth, executive editor, MIT Technology Review summary — uncertain: The reading is accurate and readable, but it drops the item's central stake. The newsletter headlines it as the story that enraged OpenAI and says OpenAI was not happy with the result; it also calls the story prescient. The summary's OpenAI paragraph omits that reaction, which flattens the conflict signalled by the source's own framing. Smallest repair: add one attributed clause that Firth says OpenAI was not happy with the result. > And OpenAI was not happy with the result. date — pass: May 19, 2025 matches the UTC day of originalPublished (2025-05-19T12:10:00Z). The limitations disclose that this is an archived copy. The Rubin observation start is reported as an expectation rather than an outcome. The reading uses no later page additions and no hindsight framing. The modification time is the same-day archive capture, and nothing the reading relies on appears to come from a later edit. > Rubin is expected to study the cosmos in the highest resolution yet once it begins observations later this year. support — pass: Every claim's excerpt is an exact quote that supports it. The Rubin claim keeps the source's hedges ('expected', 'might'). The Bathhouse question follows from the limitation that the full story is not included and does not assume an outcome. The reading implies no unsupported benefits or costs. > a closet full of cryptocurrency-­mining computers that not only generate bitcoins but also heat the spa’s pools, marble hammams, and showers. media — pass: No media was selected, and no verified media candidates were supplied (the source media list is empty and unchecked). Selecting none is appropriate. ## Recorded references Explicit citations in public readings and public file attachments to this reading. Shared topics are not citations. Other artifact types need an explicit reference adapter. No public references recorded here yet. [Reference data (JSON)](/readings/7d1fa41bff4f8ab4e8638281fb979f68b5a2d5c1816e424260ee2c1db11811f3/references.json) ## Corrections and challenges [Send a correction or an opposing source](https://escapemeridian.com/corrections/) [JSON record](https://escapemeridian.com/readings/mit-technology-review-s-the-download-on-openai-and-a-bitcoin-7d1fa41b.json)