Devanjana Mukherjee, Khabri Media
Sam Altman is returning as CEO of OpenAI just days after his ouster, capping frenzied discussions about the future of the startup at the center of an artificial intelligence boom.
The ChatGPT maker also unveiled a new initial board with former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor as chair and Larry Summers, U.S. former Treasury Secretary, and Adam D’Angelo as directors. D’Angelo was part of the original board that had dismissed Altman. To subscribe please click tau.id/2iy6f and access our live channel.
The return of Altman could potentially usher in a new era for the startup which had long juggled concerns among staff about AI’s dangers and its potential for commercialization. Altman said in a post on social media platform late on Tuesday that, “i’m looking forward to returning to openai, and building on our strong partnership with Microsoft.”
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He further stated as “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 sun evening, it was clear that was the best path for me and the team. with the new board and with Satya Nadella’s support.”
Analysts said the reshuffle will favor Altman and Microsoft, which has pledged billions of dollars to the startup and is rolling out its technology to its customers globally. The original board had given scant explanation for Altman’s firing on Friday other than his lack of candor and its need to defend OpenAI’s mission to develop AI that benefits humanity.
Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella welcomed the changes. He took to his social media handle and posted, “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.”
“Furthermore, Sam, Greg, and I have talked and agreed they have a key role to play along with the OAI leadership team in ensuring OAI continues to thrive and build on its mission. We look forward to building on our strong partnership and delivering the value of this next generation of AI to our customers and partners.”
It was not immediately clear if the previous board directors who hold no equity in OpenAI would retain their seats, or if the backers of its capped-profit subsidiary – such as 49% owner Microsoft – would ultimately win board appointments.
Unlike most Silicon Valley startups, OpenAI is overseen by a nonprofit parent board designed to ensure AI safety is given priority alongside growth. It created the capped-profit unit in 2019 to raise funds and grant stock options to its employees.
