Sam Altman, the former CEO of OpenAI, was reportedly in the midst of raising funds for a new venture capital fund focused on hard tech when he stepped down from his position. According to sources familiar with the matter, Altman was also seen in good spirits and attended an industry gathering just days before his departure, indicating that he was unaware of the impending decision.
In a blog post, OpenAI announced that its board of directors had lost confidence in Altman’s leadership abilities after a thorough review process. The board cited Altman’s lack of consistent candor in his communications as a hindrance to their responsibilities. Altman’s business dealings have long been a topic of intrigue in Silicon Valley, with speculation about undisclosed financial connections. However, it remains unclear whether these investments played a role in his ouster from OpenAI, as the company declined to comment on the matter.
Altman expressed his fondness for his time at OpenAI in a post on X, stating that it had been transformative for him personally and potentially for the world. He also mentioned his admiration for the talented individuals he had the opportunity to work with and hinted at future plans.
Following Altman’s departure, Mira Murati, the company’s chief technology officer since 2018, was appointed as interim CEO. OpenAI’s board praised Murati’s expertise in AI governance and policy, deeming her uniquely qualified for the role. The company plans to initiate a formal search for a permanent CEO in the near future.
In another development, Greg Brockman, one of OpenAI’s co-founders, announced his decision to quit the company entirely. Brockman had previously stepped down as chairman of the board but ultimately decided to sever ties with the organization. In a letter to employees, he expressed pride in their collective achievements over the past eight years and the challenges they had overcome. However, based on the news of Altman’s departure, Brockman stated that he was resigning as well.
The remaining members of OpenAI’s board include Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever, Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, technology entrepreneur Tasha McCauley, and Helen Toner, director of strategy at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.
Notably, Altman did not hold equity in OpenAI, unlike founders such as Mark Zuckerberg, which meant that he could be fired at any time.
Microsoft, which has invested billions in OpenAI, was reportedly caught off guard by Altman’s firing. However, the company affirmed its commitment to the startup, stating that it plans to continue working with OpenAI in the long term.
OpenAI gained widespread recognition in 2022 with the release of ChatGPT, an AI tool with over 100 million weekly users. Altman played a pivotal role in the company’s success, traveling globally to meet with government officials and advocate for OpenAI’s perspectives on regulation. He also ventured into other projects, including a cryptocurrency startup that offers tokens in exchange for scanning people’s eyeballs.
Altman had previously led the startup accelerator Y Combinator before shifting his focus to OpenAI as CEO three years ago. As one of the original investors who contributed $1 billion to launch OpenAI in 2015, Altman joined the ranks of tech leaders like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel.
In addition, it was reported that three other individuals had previously departed from OpenAI’s board this year. These include former Texas representative Will Hurd, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, and Shivon Zilis, an executive at Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface startup Neuralink.
