New York: Since OpenAI fired its co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman on Friday, a host of players across the tech industry have come onto the scene.
From co-founders to chief executives, here are their roles and how they play into the escalating series of events happening at the artificial intelligence firm.
Now, the company’s biggest investors, including Microsoft Corp., Thrive Capital and Tiger Global Management, are pressing the company to reinstate him. OpenAI was “optimistic” it could bring back Altman and other key employees who left, Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon said in a memo to staff, the Information reported.
According to a report in Bloomberg, OpenAI investors are pressurising the board to reinstate Sam Altman as its CEO. The move comes a day after the young co-founder’s departure was annouced.
Sources told the publication that some investors are also talking to Satya Nadella-led Microsoft about Altman’s return. The Microsoft CEO, as per the report, has been talking to Altman and promised him his support in whatever he chooses to do next. Nadella was also surprised to know about the board’s decision to remove Altman as the company’s CEO.
As soon as Sam Altman’s exit from the company was announced, several key people resigned. The company’s co-founder Greg Brockman, along with some other top researchers, announced their exit from the company as a protest of sorts. Sources told Bloomberg that such resignations would continue in the wake of Altman being ousted. Also, the report adds that if Altman does return as the OpenAI CEO, he would ask for changes in the way the company is “governed.”
Meanwhile, a report by The Verge says that the OpenAI staff had given a deadline of 5 pm to the board to bring back Altman and Greg else more resignations would follow. The board had earlier agreed and had said that it would resign to bring Altman and Greg back, but hesitated later and missed the deadline. The report also says that Altman might decide to start up a new company and if that happens, these employees would follow him for sure.
OpenAI had announced Sam Altman’s departure in a blog post, saying that he had been inconsistent with his communications with the board. “The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI,” the blog post read. Mira Murati, the company’s chief technology officer, started serving as the company’s interim CEO in the wake of Altman’s ouster.
