After days of drama, OpenAI has announced Sam Altman will return as CEO of the company
OpenAI has announced that Sam Altman will return as the CEO of the firm, just days after the board fired him. The company announced the decision in a post on X. Moreover, former chairperson of OpenAI board Greg Brockman will also return to the company.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had recently announced the joining of Brockman and Altman in its internal AI team. However, reports of negotiation between the board and Altman were doing the rounds for the past few days. In its announcement, the company has also shared about new changes to its board.
The statement 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. We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this."
Reacting to his return, Altman took to X and wrote, "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 Microsoft on Sunday evening, it was clear that was the best path for me and the team. With the new board and with Satya’s support, I am looking forward to returning to OpenAI, and building on our strong partnership with Microsoft."
For the unversed, Altman was initially fired due to his inability to maintain "candid communication" with the OpenAI board which hindered its ability to carry out its duties. The company had appointed former Twitch CEO Emmett Shear as the new chief. Microsoft shares had taken a beating following the announcement of the move which was met by widespread criticism. Over 500 employees of OpenAI had also threatened to resign if Altman did not return to his position.