Ousted Chief Executive Officer of OpenAI Sam Altman is slated to rejoin the company, according to a report in the Associated Press. He was abruptly ousted from the company last week.
Sam Altman. Pic/X
Ousted Chief Executive Officer of OpenAI Sam Altman is slated to rejoin the company, according to a report in the Associated Press. He was abruptly ousted from the company last week.
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OpenAI, a San Francisco-based company, announced that it has reached a principle agreement for Altman to resume his role as CEO. Additionally, a new initial board comprising notable tech industry members was established. The firm's statement was cited in the AP report. It read, "We have agreed in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board made of former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and Quora CEO Adam D'Angelo."
OpenAI's previous board of directors, which included D'Angelo, had refused to give specific reasons for why it fired Altman on Friday, leading to a weekend of internal conflict at the company and growing outside pressure from the startup's investors.
An employee-driven petition demanding board resignations and Altman's reinstatement resulted from the previous board's decision to fire Altman without giving clear notice, which in turn caused internal strife and outside pressure. Amidst the leadership crisis, Microsoft, a major OpenAI investor, moved quickly to hire Altman and another co-founder, Greg Brockman.
While the startup's governance and board issues are being addressed, Altman's potential return to OpenAI remains contingent. However, Microsoft's CTO, Kevin Scott, reassured employees of potential roles at Microsoft's new AI Research Lab if needed, extending support to those contemplating joining Altman at Microsoft.
"We have seen your petition and appreciate your desire potentially to join Sam Altman at Microsoft's new AI Research Lab. Know that if needed, you have a role at Microsoft that matches your compensation and advances our collective mission," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
OpenAI was founded as a nonprofit organisation with the goal of creating safe artificial general intelligence. Despite becoming a for-profit company, it kept its nonprofit board structure. With only four members after Altman's departure, a change in composition and the addition of new leadership were required.
Greg Brockman reappeared on social media during the upheaval, announcing the launch of ChatGPT Voice, a feature that enhances the ChatGPT experience. However, this announcement was made in tandem with a lighthearted demonstration from OpenAI's main account, which highlighted workforce unity while quietly acknowledging recent upheaval.
"Give it a try, totally changes the ChatGPT experience," Brockman wrote, resharing a post from OpenAI's main account on X which featured a demonstration of the tech's playful response to the recent turmoil.
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