Devanjana Mukherjee, Khabri Media
Emotions ran high on Saturday as current and former employees were angered by Altman’s sacking and worried over how an upcoming $86 billion share sale could be affected by the sudden management upheaval.
Pic: Social Media
In a surprising turn of events, the former CEO of OpenAI finds himself at the center of the tech world’s attention once again. Following his departure from OpenAI under controversial circumstances, Sam Altman is now gearing up to launch a new AI startup, promising innovation and disruption in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence. To subscribe please click tau.id/2iy6f and access our live channel.
A day after the board fired him in a surprise move that rocked the tech world, Altman was talking with OpenAI executives about improving the company’s governance structure while he discusses with some core OpenAI researchers and others loyal to Altman how they could start a new AI company.
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OpenAI, a nonprofit co-founded by billionaire Elon Musk, launched ChatGPT on Nov. 30 last year, setting off a global sensation over generative AI technology that quickly became the world’s fastest-growing software application.
The possibilities of a return or a restart for Altman, seen by many as the face of generative AI, are in flux, said the source, who asked not to be named because the source was not authorized to speak on behalf of the parties involved.
Investors in OpenAI, including its biggest backer Microsoft, are discussing damage control, including possibly pushing the board to restore Altman as CEO, fearing a mass exodus of talent without him, other sources said.
Pic: Social Media
In a post from a social media handle, Vinod Khosla stated that, Kholsa Ventures, an early backer of OpenAI, wants Altman back at OpenAI but “will back him in whatever he does next.” Microsoft reportedly owns 49% of the company, while other investors and employees control 49%, with 2% owned by OpenAI’s nonprofit parent.
Trained on reams of data, generative AI can create human-like content, helping users spin up term papers, complete science homework and even write entire novels. After ChatGPT’s launch, regulators scrambled to catch up: the European Union revised its AI Act and the U.S. kicked off AI regulation efforts.
By Saturday, some shell-shocked employees contemplated quitting if Altman was not restored by the end of the weekend, one source said. Others expressed support for joining Altman in starting a company, a third person familiar with the matter said.
Some researchers at OpenAI, including Szymon Sidor, have quit the company over the CEO change, but it was unclear if Sidor and others would join a new Altman venture, two people familiar with the matter said. Altman and Apple’s former design chief Jony Ive have been discussing building a new AI hardware device. It reported that SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son had been involved in the conversation.
