Altman to return to OpenAI; Microsoft’s Satya Nadella says “encouraged by changes” at startup board

OpenAI said it has in-principal reached an agreement to bring back just-ousted CEO Sam Altman into its fold again.

The artificial intelligence startup, on November 22, posted on microblogging site X that Sam Altman will return with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo.

“We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this,” OpenAI’s X post read.

Minutes after OpenAI announced the move, Sam Altman said he was “looking forward” to returning to his previous role at the AI firm.

“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 (Mircosoft) on November 19 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 looking forward to returning to OpenAI and building on our strong partnership with MSFT,” Sam Altman wrote in his X post.

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

Sharing Sam Altman’s X post, Microsoft chief Satya Nadella, who offered him a position, said, “We are 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. Sam, Greg, and I have talked and agreed they have a key role to play along with the OAI leadership team in ensuring OAI continues to thrive and build on its mission. We look forward to building on our strong partnership and delivering the value of this next generation of AI to our customers and partners,” the Microsoft boss wrote on X.

On November 20 local time, Microsoft Corporation Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella announced that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, together with colleagues, will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team.

Last week, in a surprising move, Sam Altman, the CEO and co-founder of OpenAI, the organisation behind ChatGPT, left the artificial intelligence company and resigned from its board with immediate effect. This unexpected departure sent shock waves through the technology industry.

The company had then, in a blog post on November 17, announced that OpenAI’s board no longer has confidence in Altman’s ability to lead the organisation.

Since the introduction of ChatGPT, major tech companies have strived to compete with OpenAI, and world leaders have sought Altman’s insights and investments.

Originally established as a nonprofit in 2015, OpenAI aimed to prevent advanced AI from falling into the hands of monopolistic corporations. However, after receiving a significant investment from Microsoft in 2019, the company transitioned to a for-profit structure.

(with inputs from ANI)