Sequoia isn’t the only VC firm to lend equity-free support to Chatbot Arena; Andreessen Horowitz launched an open source AI grant program last August, and Chatbot Arena’s umbrella outfit LMSYS was among the second cohort of recipients.

Chiang said that there are no plans to evolve the project into a commercial entity, underscoring the need for alternative sources of financing — now, and perhaps long into the future.

“As part of our long-term vision, we may establish a nonprofit organization to host the leaderboard, keeping our focus on broad accessibility and community impact,” Chiang said.