OpenAI, the developer behind ChatGPT, announced that it has successfully reached an agreement with Sam Altman to resume his role as the company’s chief executive. This achievement comes after a series of intense discussions that spanned several days.
After a thorough evaluation, the board of OpenAI made the decision to remove Altman from his position on Friday. The board cited concerns regarding his lack of consistent candor in his communications as the primary reason for this action.
Read more: Uncertainty surrounds OpenAI’s $86 bn valuation after CEO departure
OpenAI has reached a preliminary agreement to partially reconstitute the board of directors that had previously dismissed Altman from his role.
On the social media platform X, OpenAI said, “We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo,” OpenAI said on social media platform X. “We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this.”
We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D'Angelo.
We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this.
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) November 22, 2023
According to the company’s announcement, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and former co-Chief Executive of Salesforce, Bret Taylor, will join Adam D’Angelo, chief executive of Quora and current director, as members of the board.
On Monday, OpenAI announced the appointment of Emmett Shear, the former boss of Twitch, as its interim chief executive. In the meantime, Altman has been chosen by Microsoft to head a new advanced AI research team.
Reports indicated that OpenAI’s staff had allegedly threatened to resign and join Altman at Microsoft’s new AI unit unless the board stepped down. This mounting pressure added significant strain to the company.
In a post on social media platform X, Altman expressed his anticipation for his return to OpenAI, stating, “I’m looking forward to returning to OpenAI.”
i love openai, and everything i’ve done over the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together. when i decided to join msft on sun evening, it was clear that was the best path for me and the team. with the new board and w satya’s support, i’m…
— Sam Altman (@sama) November 22, 2023
Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to OpenAI
Microsoft, the largest supporter of OpenAI with a reported pledge of $10 billion to bolster the company, affirmed its ongoing commitment to OpenAI. Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, announced on Monday that both Altman and former OpenAI President Greg Brockman, who were previously ousted, would be joining Microsoft to spearhead a new advanced AI research team.
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