Sam Altman, co-founder and now ex-CEO of OpenAI, was ousted from his position by the company’s board of directors on Friday. In addition, the company behind ChatGPT has also announced further management changes. We provide an update.
OpenAI’s board ousts Sam Alman as CEO
On Friday, artificial intelligence (AI) company OpenAI, behind the popular chatbot ChatGPT, issued a resounding announcement to inform of the departure of Sam Altam, CEO and one of the company’s co-founders.
Unclear on the motivations behind this choice, the board of directors nevertheless indicated that certain actions on his part had contributed to a loss of trust:
” Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process conducted by the Board, which concluded that he had not always been forthright in his communications with the Board, impeding his ability to carry out his responsibilities. The Board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue to lead OpenAI. “
On X, Sam Altman mainly communicated to express gratitude for this entrepreneurial experience, explaining however that he might get more specific in a second:
“I loved my time at OpenAI. It’s been transformative for me personally and, hopefully, for the world a little. I especially enjoyed working with such talented people. I’ll have more to say about what’s next later. “
A new CEO and another departure
To replace Sam Altman, the Board of Directors has appointed Mira Murati as interim CEO. She already held a position of responsibility as the company’s Chief Technology Officer:
“In order to replace Sam Altman, the Board of Directors has appointed Mira Murati as interim CEO.
“As head of the company’s research, product and security functions, Mira is uniquely qualified to take on the role of interim CEO. We have the utmost confidence in her ability to lead OpenAI through this period of transition. “
What’s more, it seems that not all these decisions have been unanimously endorsed within the company. And for good reason, Greg Brockman, previously Chairman of the Board and also co-founder of OpenAI, has also announced his departure.
Initially, Brockman was only due to step down as Chairman, but “based on today’s news”, it would appear that this change will go even further, as he revealed on X, without providing any further details:
After learning today’s news, this is the message I sent to the OpenAI team: https://t.co/NMnG16yFmm pic.twitter.com/8x39P0ejOM
– Greg Brockman (@gdb) November 18, 2023
So, the next few weeks could bring more clarity to the situation, as the board works to appoint “a permanent successor” to Sam Altman.
