In a surprising turn of events, OpenAI has announced a preliminary agreement to reinstate Sam Altman as CEO, alongside a revamped board featuring Bret Taylor as chairman, Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo.
Just days after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recruited Altman for a leading role in a groundbreaking artificial intelligence (AI) research team, OpenAI has reconsidered its initial decision to part ways with its co-founder.
On November 22, OpenAI shared news of the new agreement, emphasizing ongoing collaboration between the company and Altman to finalize the details. The confirmation came through an official post on OpenAI’s X account (formerly Twitter).
Expressing his affection for OpenAI, Altman withdrew from his prospective position at Microsoft, stating, “I’m looking forward to returning to OpenAI, and building on our strong partnership with Microsoft,” accompanied by a heart emoji.
Nadella publicly supported Altman and Greg Brockman, co-founder and president of OpenAI, in their decision to return to the company, underscoring the importance of ensuring OpenAI’s continued success in pursuing its mission.
Altman’s brief departure shed light on his instrumental role in unifying the OpenAI team. On November 20, a reported 505 out of 700 OpenAI employees signed a letter condemning the board’s actions in terminating Altman and removing Brockman, asserting that these decisions compromised the company’s mission.
The employee backlash, coupled with Microsoft’s timely job offer, solidified Altman’s influential position within the AI ecosystem.
