Sam Altman back as OpenAI chief
CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES — In a dramatic turn of events, Sam Altman has been reinstated as chief executive officer (CEO) of artificial intelligence (AI) research company OpenAI just days after being unexpectedly removed by the board.
Altman’s return follows an intense backlash from employees and industry observers over his controversial ouster last Friday.
Nearly all of OpenAI’s staff of around 700 signed an open letter demanding the resignation of the board members responsible, threatening to follow Altman out the door.
The move caps a tumultuous few days that saw Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announce plans to hire Altman before backtracking. It is seen as a victory for Altman’s vision for OpenAI, which focuses on rapid commercialization of its powerful AI systems like ChatGPT.
The company said its “agreement in principle” with Altman aims to restore stability amid discussions on AI development and ethics.
“Everything I’ve done over the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together… I’m looking forward to returning to OpenAI,” Altman said in an X post.
OpenAI was recently valued at over $80 billion. Altman’s comeback ushers in a new board chaired by former Salesforce executive Bret Taylor, which was welcomed by Microsoft’s Nadella.
