According to a report by the Wall Street Journal on the 20th, hopes of Sam Atlman, former CEO of artificial intelligence startup OpenAI, returning to his position have been shattered. On the other hand, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella posted on social media that Altman and his colleagues will join Microsoft.
According to the Wall Street Journal, on the evening of the 19th local time, the OpenAI board of directors refused to approve the proposed terms for Altman's reinstatement and found someone else to replace him.
According to insiders, Emmett Shear, former CEO of Twitch, has been appointed as the interim CEO of OpenAI. According to a person familiar with Altman's thoughts, Altman was shocked by this decision, as he had full confidence in his ability to return to OpenAI.
The Wall Street Journal quoted insiders as saying that during negotiations with the board that day, Altman insisted on the resignation of the current board, which largely doomed his efforts to return to OpenAI to failure.
The Wall Street Journal previously quoted insiders as reporting that investors in OpenAI such as Microsoft are putting pressure on the OpenAI board to revoke its previous decision to dismiss Altman as CEO. But the latest news shows that despite pressure from major shareholders such as Microsoft, OpenAI board members still refuse to reinstate Altman's position.
It is said that throughout the weekend, OpenAI employees were in a state of uproar, and several researchers threatened to leave the company unless Altman returned. Part of the reason why the board chose Hill as the interim CEO was because he was willing to work with employees to resolve such a difficult situation.
After news of Hill's appointment spread, some OpenAI employees posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) stating that they had resigned.
According to reports, with ChatGPT, Altman became the spokesperson for the artificial intelligence era, turning OpenAI into one of the most valuable startups in the technology industry. He is also the key to establishing a close relationship between the company and Microsoft, which relies heavily on its technology and is the largest investor in OpenAI, owning 49% of its shares.
Microsoft CEO Nadella Social Media Screenshot
According to Reuters on the 20th, Microsoft CEO Nadella stated in a social media article that Microsoft remains committed to working with OpenAI and looks forward to learning about the new team led by Hill. Meanwhile, Nadella announced that Altman, former OpenAI president Greg Brockman, and colleagues will join Microsoft to lead a new advanced artificial intelligence research team. Microsoft looks forward to taking swift action to provide the necessary resources for its success.
According to previous reports, on November 17th, OpenAI issued a statement stating that Altman will no longer serve as the company's CEO and will leave the company's board of directors, and Brockman will no longer serve as the chairman of the board.
Due to the unexpected departure of Altman and Brockman, OpenAI company fell into chaos. According to insiders, the recent rapid expansion of OpenAI in the business sector has left some board members dissatisfied, believing that this situation violates the company's belief in "safe development of artificial intelligence", and the resulting tension within the company has been ongoing for some time. The company's board of directors stated in a statement released on the 17th that Altman was "not always honest" in his communication with the board, which hindered him from fulfilling his duties.