There's an alternate reality where OpenAI was, instead, EvenMoreClosedAI, and the productivity multiplier effect was held close to their chest, and only elites had access to it. I'm not sure that reality is better.

What makes you think thats not the case now? Do you think they would tell you?

It is known that some got access to GPT-4 before the rest of the world did. That OpenAI eventually released it to the world is what counts though. Hopefully GPT-5 will also be released too the world but we shall have to see.

Google and others had strong AI, but they are keep internal to maximize profits and spy on people.

OpenAI put it out there so we can see it, interact and have the conversation.

They have way more inside, ChatGPT is there to test it out in the real world progressively and so we get use to artificial superintelligence.