OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman reached an agreement with the company’s board to return as CEO, the leading artificial intelligence company said Wednesday, five days after his surprise ouster that sent shock waves through the tech industry.
The board, which had cited a breakdown in communications in removing Altman, is also set to be replaced after actions caused an all-out revolt among employees.
“We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this,” the company posted on X early Wednesday.
The board will comprise former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo. D’Angelo was previously on the board, but the others were not. The outgoing members include OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever and Helen Toner, director of strategy and foundational research grants at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.
Altman confirmed that he accepted the role and would forgo an offer from Microsoft to lead a new research laboratory.
“[W]hen i decided to join [Microsoft] on [Sunday] evening, it was clear that was the best path for me and the team,” Altman posted on X. “With the new board and w [Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s] support, i’m looking forward to returning to openai, and building on our strong partnership with [Microsoft].”
i love openai, and everything i’ve done over the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together. when i decided to join msft on sun evening, it was clear that was the best path for me and the team. with the new board and w satya’s support, i’m…
— Sam Altman (@sama) November 22, 2023
Microsoft is “encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board. We believe this is a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance,” Nadella posted in response to OpenAI’s announcement.
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The former board at OpenAI released Altman without offering many details on Friday, claiming that it went through a “deliberative review process” and found that Altman was “not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities.” It also removed the chairman of the board, Greg Brockman, who resigned from the company altogether in solidarity with Altman hours later. The dismissal occurred without the board informing investors, leaving several confused by the decision.
The next few days were chaotic as Altman attempted to renegotiate a way to return to the company, including a decision to join Microsoft. On Monday, over 700 employees threatened to leave the company if Altman was not reinstated and the board replaced.
