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- 1 In a surprising turn of events, Sam Altman is all set to return to OpenAI.
- 2 OpenAI took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce the return of Altman as CEO.
Sam Altman is coming back to OpenAI. First, Mr. Altman was shown the way out of the company he co-founded. Afterward, he joined Microsoft to lead the new AI initiative. In the aftermath of his dismissal, about 90% of OpenAI employees were on the brink of resignation and now the former CEO might reclaim his position. The ups and downs of last weekend are finally reaching its climax.
OpenAI took to social media platform X on Tuesday, formerly Twitter, and announced that they have come to an agreement with Mr. Altman and he will “return to OpenAI as CEO.” Further, the company also noted that the board will see changes.
In the new initial board, former Salesforce CEO Bret Taylor will be holding the chairperson, along with former Treasury Secretary Larry Summer and existing board member, Quora co-founder Adam D’Angelo.
The instance is still under development and more details are yet to come out. But it’s safe to assume that with the new board in authority at OpenAI, the former board members would need to leave, which was also a condition to ensure Mr Altman’s return.
These board members include chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, who reportedly led the board meeting that decided to fire the then-company CEO. Independent directors Tasha McCauley and Helen Toner might need to leave the board too.
Some news outlets reported citing the sources familiar with the matter that the agreement for Mr. Altman’s reinstatement includes conducting an independent investigation of the event that resulted in firing him.
Sam Altman Agrees to Return, Nadella Supports Decision
Within minutes of OpenAI’s post, Sam Altman’s post surfaced on X that started with confessing his “love” to OpenAI. He said his actions in the past were for the company’s good including joining Microsoft. He further noted that he looks forward to “returning to OpenAI” with the support of the new board and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Then appears Mr. Nadella’s post on X. He found the changes in the OpenAI board “encouraging” and an “essential step” to move towards stability ensuring “well-informed and effective governance.”
Quick Recap
Sam Altman, co-founder and then CEO of OpenAI, and then-president Greg Brockman were ousted from the company after a board meeting over Google Meet on Friday, November 17, 2023. The board promoted CTO Mira Murati as interim CEO and later appointed former Twitch CEO Emmett Shear as the new interim CEO.
After some time, Mr. Altman joined Microsoft to lead the new AI initiative in the software company. OpenAI employees did not like the decision to fire Mr. Altman. They demanded to reinstate him as CEO and eliminate the board, which decided on his ousting.
The number of employees ready to resign and join Microsoft following Mr. Altman reached an alarming 90% of OpenAI’s existing staff.
Nancy J. Allen is a crypto enthusiast, with a major in macroeconomics and minor in business statistics. She believes that cryptocurrencies inspire people to be their own banks, and step aside from traditional monetary exchange systems. She is also intrigued by blockchain technology and its functioning. She frequently researches, and posts content on the top altcoins, their theoretical working principles and technical price predictions.
