Emmett Shear, co-founder of Twitch, has been confirmed as the new CEO of OpenAI following the recent firing of Sam Altman. Interestingly, Shear and Altman have a history together, as they were both part of the inaugural class for Y Combinator, a renowned startup incubator in San Francisco, back in 2005. Altman also served as the president of Y Combinator from 2014 to 2019.
A throwback picture of Shear and Altman from their time in the 2005 Y Combinator class has recently gone viral on Twitter. The photo shows Shear wearing red and Altman in yellow. The image has garnered attention not only for the reunion of these tech leaders, but also for featuring other prominent figures such as Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, and the late Aaron Swartz, an Internet pioneer and activist.
The picture has left internet users amazed at the concentration of talent captured in a single frame. Many have praised the group as one of the most legendary classes in history, while others have paid tribute to Swartz and expressed awe at the collective achievements of the individuals present.
Meanwhile, in his new role as OpenAI’s CEO, Shear has promised to hire an independent investigator to look into Altman’s sudden departure and implement reforms within the management team. His goal is to rebuild trust in the startup over the next 30 days. On the other hand, Altman has been announced as the leader of a new AI research team at Microsoft by the company’s chief, Satya Nadella.
The news of Shear’s appointment and the viral throwback picture have generated significant interest among internet users and tech enthusiasts.
