In a surprising turn of events, Sam Altman, formerly ousted by the OpenAI board last Friday, has made a triumphant comeback. The new OpenAI board, composed of distinguished members such as Bret Taylor, former CTO of Facebook, Larry Summers, former Treasury Secretary, and Adam D’Angelo, co-founder and CEO of Quora, has reinstated Altman as the CEO. This decision follows a strong backlash from almost all OpenAI employees who threatened to resign in protest against Altman’s unexpected removal.
Adam D’Angelo, who was part of the board that dismissed Altman last week, is now working alongside him once again. Although the official announcement on X did not explicitly mention the fate of other board members, it is presumed that individuals like Ilya Sutskever, Tasha McCauley, and Helen Toner will not be returning.
After his abrupt departure, Altman quickly found a new home at Microsoft, joining the company on Monday. Despite the sudden shift, Altman clarified on X that he continues to enjoy the support of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and the partnership between the two companies remains robust. Nadella, in a podcast interview, expressed his commitment to avoiding surprises in the future and hinted at a potential Microsoft-backed presence on the OpenAI board, indicating a strengthened collaboration.
Greg Brockman, who had been removed as the chairman of the OpenAI board last Friday, is also set to return to the company. His resignation in solidarity led him to join Microsoft along with Altman. The uncertainty surrounding OpenAI’s fate reached a critical point, with over 700 employees signing an open letter to the former board, presenting them with a choice—resign or witness a mass exodus of employees. Such a scenario would have been detrimental to a company valued at almost $80 billion.
The announcement of Altman’s firing sent shockwaves not only through the organization but also reverberated globally. It came just a day after his appearance at the APEC CEO Summit and two weeks after leading OpenAI’s DevDay presentation. The former board justified Altman’s removal by stating that he “was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities,” leading to a loss of confidence in his leadership abilities. The reinstatement of Altman marks a significant twist in this unexpected corporate drama, leaving many to wonder about the future dynamics of OpenAI under his leadership.
