Altman Fires Board That Fired Him

After Sam Altman's return as the Chief Executive Officer of OpenAI, OpenAI released a statement on X, that outlined a new board composition and thanked the public for their patience during this tumultuous period.

The reshuffled board will now include Bret Taylor, former co-CEO of Salesforce, and Larry Summers, a past US Treasury Secretary and President of Harvard University. Adam D'Angelo, CEO of Quora and a current member of the previous board, will remain on the new board.

The circumstances leading to Altman's initial dismissal remain a subject of intense speculation. Reports suggest that the board's decision to fire Altman last Friday was due to concerns over his candor in communications, which allegedly hampered the board's oversight abilities.

Altman, 38, who has been at the helm of OpenAI since 2020, briefly transitioned to a new position at Microsoft, leading a newly formed AI research team. Greg Brockman, a co-founder of OpenAI and its former president, accompanied Altman in this venture.

However, following Altman's dismissal, a significant number of OpenAI employees expressed their discontent. An open letter penned by the employees demanded Altman and Brockman's reinstatement, with a majority threatening to resign and join the duo at Microsoft. In response to this potential exodus, Microsoft's Chief Technology Officer, Kevin Scott, extended an invitation to those OpenAI employees who were considering resignation.

Altman's return to OpenAI signals a new chapter for the company, which has been at the forefront of AI research and development. The changes in the board, along with the reinstatement of Altman, hint at a possible realignment of the company's leadership and strategic direction.

As part of his return, Altman has reiterated his commitment to OpenAI's mission, stating on X, "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."