OpenAI reached an agreement to rehire Sam Altman as CEO less than a week after his initial firing, according to reports on Wednesday.
The announcement ends a week of frenzied uncertainty surrounding the future of the company’s leadership. The artificial intelligence company also shook up their board of directors, bringing aboard former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and former Salesforce Co-CEO Bret Taylor. Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo will reportedly retain his board seat for now. (RELATED: New Version Of ChatGPT Crushes LSAT, SAT, GRE And AP Exams)
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
The company pointed to Altman’s supposed lack of candor as the reason behind his firing last Friday..
The changes to the company announced Tuesday are believed to favor both Altman and Micorsoft—OpenAI’s financial backer.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella celebrated Altman’s return to OpenAI on Twitter.
“We are encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board. We believe this is a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance,” Nadella tweeted.
We are encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board. We believe this is a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance. Sam, Greg, and I have talked and agreed they have a key role to play along with the OAI leadership team in ensuring… https://t.co/djO6Fuz6t9
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) November 22, 2023
Altman’s abrupt firing pushed OpenAI President Greg Brockton to quit in protest. Nadella subsequently offered Altman and Brockton an opportunity to head an artificial intelligence research team at Microsoft.
Nearly all of OpenAI’s staff threatened to quit the company and join the Microsoft AI venture if the board did not dissolve itself and reinstate Altman, according to Reuters.
OpenAI investors indicated Monday, according to Reuters, that they were in the process of seeking legal recourse over Altman’s unexpected firing, arguing that the decision could throw the lucrative startup’s future in jeopardy. The company is expected to receive a valuation of $80 billion.
Altman reportedly returned to OpenAI’s office on Sunday in anticipation of regaining his CEO position when the board surprised him again by appointing ex-Twitch co-Founder Emmett Shear as interim CEO.
“I am deeply pleased by this result, after ~72 very intense hours of work,” Shear posted in response to the news.
Artificial intelligence is considered to be one of the most pressing global issues. White House chief of staff Jeff Zients said that artificial intelligence is one of President Joe Biden’s, “top three issues.” The Biden administration has also hinted at future plans to strongly regulate artificial intelligence.