OpenAI’s headquarters in San Francisco had an eventful weekend when co-founder and CEO Sam Altman was fired by the company’s board of directors on Friday. This move set off a crisis at the institution that saw several senior staff members quit in protest, with almost 700 rank-and-file employees also threatening to do the same. Microsoft had already swooped in to recruit Altman for its own AI projects, even as calls for the board’s resignation started coming in. Here’s what you need to know to stay informed during Thanksgiving. On Thursday, November 16th, OpenAI’s head researcher and board member, Ilya Sutskever, contacted Altman to set up a meeting the following day. During the meeting, Altman was fired, sparking protests from the workforce. On Friday, things escalated quickly, and by Friday evening, several staff members had resigned in solidarity. There was backtracking on Saturday as Altman’s termination notice was released, and a few insiders revealed that an $86 billion share sale was in jeopardy. Altman announced he would be starting a new AI startup, causing OpenAI’s investors to pressure the board to reinstate him. Microsoft’s Satya Nadella reportedly led this charge. On Sunday, Emmett Shear was named the new interim-CEO, and on Monday, more than 500 OpenAI employees threatened to quit unless the board resigns and reinstates Altman and the others. However, it does not look like this will happen, as Shear has already been named interim-CEO and Microsoft has already hired Altman and the others. Shear announced that an independent investigator will be hired to report on the run-up to the management crisis.
Unraveling the Future of OpenAI: A Look at Sam Altman’s Role
