- OpenAI has fired its CEO, Sam Altman, according to an internal memo in the company, over apparent issues of transparency in operations.
- Altman and OpenAI’s former president, Greg Brockman, joined Microsoft’s AI research team a couple of days later.
- Former CEO of Twitch, Emmett Shear, is set to take over as the Interim chief of the artificial intelligence startup.
Former CEO of Open AI, Sam Altman, has joined Microsoft along with president Greg Brockman to head Microsoft’s AI research unit, adding a new chapter to the drama that started with the startling dismissal of Altman by OpenAI’s board. The news was confirmed by a post on X by CEO Satya Nadella.
Shocking the tech industry, Sam Altman was fired from his post in OpenAI this weekend. The dismissal by the company’s board was attributed to an apparent lack of transparency by Altman, leading to a lack of confidence in his leadership of OpenAI.
However, after facing significant backlash on the decision, Altman was in discussion with the board about a potential reinstatement on the 19th of November. This, however, did not go through as the board of directors stood by their decision and, soon after, announced that former CEO of Twitch Emmett Shear would be taking over as Interim Chief. Brockman, the former president and co-founder of the company, resigned in protest.
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The dismissal surprised most, including Altman and top investors such as Microsoft, Sequoia Capital, and Thrive Capital. Microsoft’s stock fell soon after the news became public. The tech giant will likely push for a seat on OpenAI’s board following the episode.
OpenAI’s current board consists of Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, Helen Toner, the director of strategy at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, and former GeoSim Systems CEO Tasha McCauley.
Nadella has reiterated Microsoft’s commitment to the OpenAI partnership, despite the recent changes, and is likely to be a key driver for OpenAI’s developments for the foreseeable future. However, the future of the company that created ChatGPT is uncertain in the waves that have come out of this incident.
How do you think Sam Altman’s ouster will affect OpenAI? Let us know your thoughts on LinkedIn, X, or Facebook. We’d love to hear from you!
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