Minutes after Sam Altman made the announcement that he will be returning as CEO of OpenAI, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who had recently welcomed Altman into the company, expressed his support for the decision. Nadella stated that they have discussed the matter and agreed that this is a crucial step towards establishing a more stable, well-informed, and effective governance structure within OpenAI.
As OpenAI’s largest shareholder, Microsoft has invested $13 billion in the company. Following Altman’s departure from OpenAI, which he co-founded, Nadella had previously announced that Altman, along with former OpenAI president Greg Brockman, would be joining Microsoft to lead a new team focused on advanced research in Artificial Intelligence.
Nadella emphasized the positive impact of the changes made to the OpenAI board, stating that they believe it is an essential step towards achieving a more stable and effective governance system. He expressed his confidence in Altman, Brockman, and the entire OpenAI leadership team to play a key role in ensuring the continued success and advancement of OpenAI’s mission. Additionally, Nadella expressed his enthusiasm for further collaboration between Microsoft and OpenAI to deliver the value of the next generation of AI to their customers and partners.
Altman’s departure from OpenAI was accompanied by the surprising removal of Brockman from the board. Altman, known as the face of OpenAI due to his involvement in creating the revolutionary ChatGPT, was fired through a Google Meet call. Brockman, on the other hand, was informed separately that he was being removed from the board but would retain his position due to his importance to the company, as stated in a post on X by Brockman. Both decisions were relayed by Ilya Sutskever, co-founder and Chief Scientist at OpenAI.
In response to Altman’s departure, major investors rallied to bring him back, and Altman put forth various demands, including the formation of a new board. His decision to return coincides with the establishment of this new board.
Overall, the return of Sam Altman as OpenAI CEO has been met with support and optimism from Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella, as well as the expectation of continued collaboration and progress in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
