He might unblock you now :)

I didn't know Khosla was early OpenAI backer - big returns

While this may not be relevant to the discussion, I don’t think the Manhattan project is a great analogy. The US is the only country that killed hundreds of thousands of innocent lives with nuclear weapons.

During WW2, while Russia was busy fighting against the Nazi, the US was focused on building their atomic weapons.

After WW2 ended, and many years after Pearl Harbour, and way after Hitler committed suicide, and months after that last battle of Okinawa, only then US decided to show its global dominant power by blasting Japan.

Why?

Who knows. But a couple of months before that, they pitched the Bretton Woods agreement and needed the world to sign on.

Russia picked up pace on nuclear weapons after WW2 and it's at par. The world has not been at peace because of global dominance over nuclear weapons, nor have they really put nuclear energy into good use for the people.

Having a select few make decisions for the world because they have monetary interest has never been a good idea. The Manhattan project will tell you that.