OpenAI is the startup that produced the generative artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT.
Here’s a look at the ongoing saga:
— On Nov. 17, OpenAI said it ousted CEO Sam Altman after an audit found he was “not consistently candid in his communications” with the board of directors. “The board no longer has confidence in its ability to continue to lead OpenAI.” the statement read.
— In the same statement, the board announced that Mira Murati, chief technology officer of OpenAI, will immediately take over as interim CEO.
— After Altman’s exit, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella reaffirmed the company’s partnership with OpenAI and its commitment to delivering the benefits of AI technology.
— In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Nadella wrote: “As you saw at Microsoft Ignite this week, we continue to rapidly innovate for this era of AI, with more than 100 announcements across the entire tech stack – from AI systems ., models and tools in Azure, to Copilot. Most importantly, we are committed to delivering all of this to our customers while building for the future. We have a long-term agreement with OpenAI with full access to everything we need to deliver on our innovation agenda and exciting product roadmap, and remain committed to our partnership, and to Mira and the team. Together, we will continue to deliver the significant benefits of this technology to the world.”
— Shortly after Altman’s ouster, co-founder and chairman Greg Brockman announced he was also leaving the company. “I am very proud of what we have all built together since starting in my apartment 8 years ago. We’ve been through hard times and great times together, achieving so much despite all the reasons it should have been impossible. But based on today’s news, I give up. Really wish you all nothing but the best. I continue to believe in the mission of creating a safe (artificial general intelligence) that benefits all of humanity,” he wrote.
— Various industry voices and tech leaders also took to social media to express support for Altman. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt hailed Sam Altman as a hero for building the company from nothing to $90 billion in value. In a tweet, Schmidt wrote, “Sam Altman is my hero. He built a company from nothing to $90 Billion in value and changed our collective world forever. I can’t wait to see what he does next. I, and billions of people, will benefit of his future work – it will be simply incredible. Thank you”
— Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky called Altman one of the top founders of his generation, recognizing his significant impact on the industry. “Sam Altman is one of the best founders of his generation and has made a huge contribution to our industry,” he wrote on X.
— Lattice CEO Jack Altman, who is Sam’s younger brother, called him the most generous and caring person. “More important than being one of the brightest and most effective people our industry has ever had. Sam is one of the most dedicated and caring people I know. I’ve never met anyone who supported and uplifted more people around them than he. Couldn’t be a prouder brother.”
— Wojciech Zaremba, Co-Founder of OpenAI wrote, “It was sad for me to see @sama and @gdb leave. I love and respect them a lot. Despite all this the mission of the OpenAI is bigger than any of us and remains the same – building safe AGI to benefit humanity.”
— Drawing a conversation between Altman’s ouster and Apple’s firing of Steve Jobs, TED Chief Chris Anderson wrote, “I’m amazed by this. OpenAI firing @sama feels like Apple firing Steve Jobs. Who has the real story? Please? , we must know!”
— The following day on Nov. 18, Bloomberg reported that Sam Altman’s firing from OpenAI followed widespread disagreements between the CEO and his board — particularly Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s co-founder and the company’s chief scientist. The debates included differences of opinion on AI security, the pace of development of the technology and the company’s commercialization, the source cited said.
— OpenAI President Greg Brockman, who announced he was leaving the company, expressed shock at the board’s move. He repeated that they did not know what was going to happen.
— Altman later released a statement on November 18 thanking the outpouring of love he received. In a post about X, he wrote, “I love you all. Today was a strange experience in many ways. but one unexpected one is that it was like reading your own eulogy while you’re still alive. The outpouring of love is amazing. One takeaway: go say to your friends how great you think they are. If I start to leave, the Openai board should come after me for the full value of my shares.”
— Reports from Bloomberg and The Verge emerged on November 19 about investors urging the OpenAI board to reverse its decision to fire Sam Altman.
— Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures, an early supporter of OpenAI expressed support for Altman’s future ventures. In an X post, he wrote, “To be clear, Khosla Ventures wants @sama (Sam Altman) back at @OpenAI (OpenAI) but will support him in whatever he does next.”
— On November 19th, the board missed a crucial 5pm PT deadline, leading to fears of the possible resignation of many OpenAI employees.
— On November 20, it was reported that Altman would not be returning to OpenAI, despite various rounds of discussions with the Board. The Independent quoted co-founder and board director Ilya Sutskever telling staff late on November 19 that Altman would not be returning.
— Later on November 20, Microsoft Satya Nadella informed that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, along with colleagues, will join Microsoft. “We remain committed to our partnership with OpenAI and have confidence in our product roadmap, our ability to continue to innovate with everything we announced at Microsoft Ignite, and to continue to support our customers and partners,” Nadella wrote on X (formerly Twitter) .
— Nadella also expressed support for new interim CEO Emmett Shear. “We look forward to getting to know and working with Emmett Shear and the new OAI leadership team. We are extremely excited to share the news that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, along with colleagues, will join Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team. We look forward to to move quickly to provide them with the resources necessary for their success,” he added.
— A few hours later, in a post on X, OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, who reportedly played a role in the board revolt against Altman, expressed regret for his part in the events. “I deeply regret my participation in the actions of the board. I never intended to harm OpenAI. I love everything we’ve built together and I’ll do everything I can to reunite the company,” Sutskever wrote.
— About 505 OpenAI employees on Nov. 20 threatened to quit en masse if the company’s board of directors failed to step down. Citing a letter it obtained, CNN reported that 505 employees warned the company that they would be switching to the new Microsoft AI team, whose operations would be led by Altman and Brockman.
— CTO Murati and Sutskever are believed to be among the signatories of the open letter, CNN reported.
— Sam Altman, in a series of tweets on November 21, communicated a message of unity and commitment to the ongoing operations of OpenAI and its partnership with Microsoft. In one of the tweets, Altman underlined the common priority between himself and the CEO of Microsoft Satya Nadella to ensure the prosperous future of OpenAI.
“We are committed to fully providing continuity of operations to our partners and customers. The OpenAI/Microsoft partnership makes that very possible. We have more unity and commitment and focus than ever before. We’re all going to work together in one way or another, and I’m so excited . One team, one mission,” he wrote.
— Reports on Nov. 21 suggested that OpenAI’s investors are considering legal action against the company’s board, following the ouster of CEO Sam Altman. They worry about a mass exodus of employees and a sinking value of their investments. Sources told Reuters that investors are consulting with legal advisers to explore their available options. However, it remains uncertain whether any legal action against OpenAI will be pursued.
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Updated: 21 Nov 2023, 14:16 IST
(tagsTo Translate)OpenAI