It’s been one of the most turbulent weeks for the tech industry in recent memory. No one would have imagined, less than a year earlier, that the firing and rehiring of a CEO from what was a relatively unknown AI firm would dominate the airwaves and fill the social media feeds of business leaders across the globe.
Yet, with its dominance in the generative AI market, the unprecedented upheaval at OpenAI has captivated the world. So, where are we now?
Discover how AI has created a new ecosystem of partnerships with a fresh spirit of customer-centric cocreation and a renewed focus on reimagining what is possible. The Acceleration Economy AI Ecosystem Course is available on demand.
Just five days after being fired as CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman has been given his job back, and sources suggest he’ll be joined by Greg Brockman, former OpenAI President, Chairman, and Co-Founder, who handed in his resignation in protest of the board’s decision to relieve Altman of his post.
That board is no more; just one member, Adam D’Angelo, remains. He is joined by former co-CEO of Salesforce Bret Taylor as chair and Larry Summers, a celebrated economist who served as United States Secretary of the Treasury under Bill Clinton.
What Now
As of now, Altman’s reinstatement is described as an agreement in principle. The existing three-person board will need to appoint a full, permanent nine-seat board that will likely include Altman and a representative from Microsoft. However, the signs are promising.
Altman took to X on November 22 and made the following statement: “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 MSFT on Sun(day) evening, it was clear that was the best path for me and the team. With the new board and w(ith) Satya’s support, I’m looking forward to returning to OpenAI, and building on our strong partnership with MSFT.”
In response, Nadella posted the following, “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.”
“We look forward to building on our strong partnership and delivering the value of this next generation of AI to our customers and partners.”
As this wild ride comes to a tentative conclusion, the direction OpenAI will take, the role Microsft will have to play in it, and whether the new AI division at Microsoft will come to fruition remains to be seen.
