OpenAI has announced the reinstatement of co-founder Sam Altman as the head of the company, just days after he was fired by the board. The reinstatement, framed as an agreement “in principle,” involves the appointment of new board members, which signifies a partial restructuring of the board.
In a post on X, Altman expressed his anticipation of returning to OpenAI and emphasized his commitment to the team and its mission. The sudden decision to remove Altman last Friday resulted in the resignation of co-founder Greg Brockman. This caused a big concern among the staff who threatened mass resignations unless Altman was reinstated.
The board’s initial decision to dismiss Altman was made by three non-employee board members, Adam D’Angelo, Tasha McCauley, and Helen Toner, along with a third co-founder and the firm’s chief scientist Ilya Sutskever. However, on Monday, Sutskever apologized on X platform and signed the staff letter calling the board to reverse its decision.
Microsoft, OpenAI’s largest investor and user of its technology, then offered Altman a position leading a new advanced AI research team. Also, the Former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor and former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers are expected to join the current director, Adam D’Angelo.
Greg Brockman, who had resigned, announced his return to the company in a post on X. OpenAI’s interim CEO, Emmett Shear, expressed his satisfaction with Altman’s return after a period of intense work.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella welcomed the changes to the OpenAI board, considering them an essential step toward more stable and effective governance. Many OpenAI staff members expressed enthusiasm about the new development they believe would unite and improve the company’s culture and optimism for the future.
While this is good news, some suggest that the recent event may have damaged OpenAI’s reputation, potentially affecting investor confidence and recruitment efforts. The unusual structure and purpose of OpenAI, initially established as a non-profit with a mission for safe artificial general intelligence, have raised questions about decision-making within the organization.
Despite the reinstatement of Altman and the reshuffling of the board, two unanswered questions still lingered. First, what are the reasons behind Altman’s initial dismissal? And second, the board cited a loss of confidence in his leadership and lack of consistency, how?