On Friday, the board of directors of OpenAI, the AI startup behind ChatGPT and other popular AI-powered apps, did something unexpected but apparently within its powers: fire the company’s CEO, Sam Altman.
But judging by how the situation has evolved, it seems that OpenAI’s investors and partners — and many of its employees — have been more comfortable with… an idea It is within the power of the Council to exercise that power. Nor did they count on the cult of personality surrounding Altman, the former head of Y Combinator and a fixture in the Silicon Valley startup scene.
On Saturday evening, just over 24 hours after OpenAI’s board of directors informally announced that Altman would be replaced by Mira Moratti, OpenAI’s chief technology officer, on an interim basis. several Publications Published reports indicate that OpenAI’s board of directors was in talks to reinstate Altman.
What changed their minds? There is no doubt that the anger and panic of investors has led to investor anger.
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, was one of OpenAI’s key partners It said “Angry” when he learned of Altman’s departure.minutes“After that happened, I reached out to Altman — and pledged my support — as backers of OpenAI (in private (Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital, Thrive Capital) enlistment Help Microsoft put pressure on the board to reverse course. Meanwhile, some of OpenAI’s major venture capital backers are reportedly considering a lawsuit against the board; None of them, including Khosla Ventures and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, a former OpenAI board member, received advance notice of the decision to fire Altman.
Khosla Ventures founder Vinod Khosla said the fund wants Altman to return to OpenAI but will support him in “whatever he does next.”
Microsoft in particular has a lot of influence. OpenAI has only received an A part Of the company’s recent $10 billion investment, according to Semafor, a significant portion of the funding comes in the form of cloud computing purchases rather than cash. Withholding these credits — and the rest of the cash investment — could leave OpenAI, starved for capital and with mounting costs to operate and train its AI systems, in a financially untenable position.
As the board considers its next move, senior researchers and AI executives at OpenAI are calling for an end to the matter.
On Friday, Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s president and co-founder, resigned after the board stripped him of his position as chairman. Three of OpenAI’s senior researchers left after Brockman, including research director Jakub Paczucki and head of preparedness Alexander Madry. And more employees are It said Submit their resignations.
They view it as a power struggle with unacceptable levels of collateral damage between two board members in particular, Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, Sutskever and Altman. Sutskever said during an all-company meeting on Friday that he felt Altman’s removal was “necessary” to protect OpenAI’s mission of “making AI useful for humanity,” suggesting that Altman’s commercial ambitions for the company were beginning to worry the kingmakers on the board. (The OpenAI Board of Directors is technically part of the nonprofit organization that governs OpenAI’s monetization strategy.)
but a lot In the technology community – and apparently OpenAI – they felt the opposite. flow Thin supports Because Altman was immediate.
And so, as did Altman and Brockman Approaching Investors in a new venture focused on AI chips and selling OpenAI employee stock face an uncertain future, and the board faces an uncomfortable change ahead. Sutskever and the rest of the board – technology entrepreneur Tasha McCauley; and Helen Toner, director of strategy at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, may have felt that their decision to fire Altman was correct and justified. But it seems that was not really their decision.
Case in point, Edge mentioned Late on Saturday, the board of directors agreed in principle to the resignation – to prepare roomPerhaps for a member allied with Microsoft – and to allow Altman and Brockman to return. Altman is said to be “ambivalent” about returning and wants “major” management changes, according to The Verge’s sources; The Wall Street Journal Reports Altman told colleagues that it was “ridiculous” that major shareholders had no say in OpenAI’s management.
Since then, the board has been disoriented, as it missed a deadline yesterday evening by which several OpenAI employees were scheduled to leave the company, The Verge reports. But its fate – and the fate of the OpenAI architecture – appears to be sealed.