After a surprising turn of events, Sam Altman, the ousted founder of OpenAI, is set to return as the CEO under a new board. The co-founder of the renowned generative artificial intelligence startup will rejoin the company shortly after being pushed out.
The announcement came through a post on Twitter by OpenAI, confirming the agreement to bring Altman back as CEO alongside a new initial board. Bret Taylor, the former co-CEO of Salesforce, will lead the initial board, which also includes Larry Summers, the former US Treasury Secretary, and existing member Adam D’Angelo. The post stated, “We are collaborating to figure out the details.”
Altman’s Unexpected Departure and Reunion with Microsoft
In November, Altman left OpenAI due to a company structure that diminished his role as CEO. However, he quickly found a new home at Microsoft. Altman expressed his excitement about returning to OpenAI in a separate post, emphasizing his dedication to keeping the team and its mission intact. He wrote, “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.”
Altman’s reunion with OpenAI is expected to strengthen the partnership with Microsoft, as mentioned in his post. The company clarified that the current OpenAI board is still subject to change and is not final. Sathya Nadella, the head of Microsoft, expressed his encouragement towards the new board, stating, “We believe this is a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance.”
