Altman is Not Coming Back as the CEO of OpenAI

Despite all the efforts of the employees of the company, according to the most recent reports, Sam Altman is not coming back as the CEO of OpenAI. Ilya Sutskever, the chief scientist of OpenAI and the one who broke the news to Altman about his firing, has told the staff that despite several negotiations over the weekend, Altman would not return. 

The new interim CEO of OpenAI is Emmett Shear, the co-founder of Twitch, replacing Mira Murati, who was appointed as the interim CEO after Altman left. 

Sutskever further added that the three other board members who removed Altman are also standing by their decision, as they see it as the “only path” to defend the company’s vision. He asserts that Altman's conduct and interactions with the board compromised their ability to oversee the development of AGI, and turn it into a company driven for profits. 

The resolution could exacerbate a crisis triggered by the abrupt removal of Altman from the board and the subsequent expulsion of President Greg Brockman on Friday. Brockman resigned later that day, followed by three senior researchers, potentially sparking a broader exodus to competing organisations such as Google.

Simultaneously, Altman appears to be steering towards a new venture following his dismissal.

Though Altman posted on X that this is the last time he is wearing a guest badge at the OpenAI office, it turns out that he might not work at OpenAI anymore. 

OpenAI on Friday said that it removed Altman, following a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently “candid” in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities. “The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI,” read the blog. 

In contrast to this, the OpenAI team has been standing in solidarity with Altman and has been urging the board to reappoint Altman as the CEO. 

Interestingly, the former OpenAI chief already knew that the board might fire him. In an interview with Bloomberg earlier this year, he said: “The board can fire me; I think that’s important. I believe the board, over time, needs to be democratised to include all of humanity.”

This response came when Bloomberg journalist, Emily Chang, asked Altman, “Why should we trust you?” given that he has an incredible amount of power at this moment.  

“You shouldn’t,” replied Altman. He said it is important for people to ask as many questions as possible as no one person should be trusted. Altman believes that the governance of technology belongs to humanity as a whole, and not just one person or a company. “You should not trust one company and certainly not one person with it,” he added.