Fired by OpenAI on November 17, Sam Altman, the co-founder and former CEO of the company, does not yet know his future. Will he return to OpenAI and regain control of ChatGPT? Will he join Microsoft, where 700 OpenAI employees could join him and cause the collapse of the AI nugget? All the latest information live.
A few days before ChatGPT’s first anniversary (November 30, 2023), could OpenAI have afforded worse publicity?
Since November 17, the company has been close to implosion. In meteoric growth over the past year, thanks to the revolution caused by its generative artificial intelligence, OpenAI was promised a titanic future, which could have made it a tech giant, in the same way as a Google or a Microsoft. Sam Altman, its co-founder and CEO, is no stranger to this. His face has become that of AI, while his every statement is scrutinized by the industry.
Friday, November 17, after the stock market closed, OpenAI dropped a bombshell. The company announced the immediate dismissal of Sam Altman, for a reason that remains mysterious three days later. Since then, the twists and turns have kept coming, almost to the point of making you want to see this weekend of chaos adapted into a series. Here is a live summary, regularly updated by Numerama (the latest information is at the top).
Is a return of Sam Altman to OpenAI possible?
In an interview with Bloomberg TV on November 20, Satya Nadella, the boss of Microsoft, indicated that the arrival of Sam Altman was not yet guaranteed. One of the hypotheses that is emerging is the return of Sam Altman at the head of OpenAI, with a profound change in the way the company operates. This is the demand of the company’s 700 employees, who threaten to resign if Sam Altman does not return. Microsoft is not opposed to this change, which will in any case allow it to continue working with Sam Altman (he owns 49% of OpenAI).
Who is Adam D’Angelo, the person accused of plotting against Sam Altman?
On Twitter, many people, including Elon Musk’s entourage, accuse Adam D’Angelo, the founder of Quora, of having led OpenAI to its downfall. Many believe that Adam D’Angelo felt threatened by ChatGPT and used his power (he sits on the board) to dismantle the company and its boss. However, beware of conspiracy theories, nothing says that Adam D’Angelo is solely responsible for the crisis. Those around him deny any conspiracy.
OpenAI employees threaten to leave
Does OpenAI still have a future? If some of its leaders have already followed Sam Altman in his hypothetical project at Microsoft, the employees could lead OpenAI to its downfall in the event of a mass exodus.
In the hours following Sam Altman’s “fall”, several OpenAI employees, often retweeted by Sam Altman, shared the same message: “OpenAI is nothing without its people”.
On November 20, an open letter was signed by 700 employees (of the company’s 770) and sent to the board of directors. It demands a resignation from the board and a return of Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. Otherwise, all employees will resign and join Sam Altman at Microsoft, to found a competitor to OpenAI.
Board member apologizes
On Twitter, Ilya Sutskever, who was among the board members who voted against Sam Altman, apologized. He explained on November 20 that he regrets causing harm to OpenAI and hopes to reunite the company. Sam Altman shared his message.
Microsoft hires Sam Altman and his team
Hours after OpenAI’s board of directors decided not to rehire Sam Altman, on November 19, Microsoft announced that it would hire Sam Altman and the resigning OpenAI executives.
Satya Nadella, the boss of Microsoft, suggested to Sam Altman to found an independent structure, but owned by Microsoft, to continue his research on AI. Microsoft will remain a partner of OpenAI, even if it will undoubtedly need it less, since it will have the company’s know-how directly in its workforce. For now, this is a promise, designed to reassure investors. Sam Altman could attract some of the Microsoft teams with him.
OpenAI changes CEO, its third in one weekend
After thanking Sam Altman for the second time in 48 hours, OpenAI announced that it was parting ways with Mira Murati on November 19, even though it had named her CEO on November 17. He chose Emmett Shear, co-founder of Twitch known for his cautious positions on AI, to succeed Sam Altman, at least on an interim basis.
OpenAI again betrays Sam Altman, who hoped to return
Sunday, November 19, Sam Altman made his grand return to OpenAI headquarters in the hope of getting his job back. Those around him set a deadline of 5 p.m., so that the board of directors can quickly find a solution. Sam Altman wanted to regain his seat and see the CA resign.
Surprise, the OpenAI board of directors decides to remain on its position, opposing the return of Sam Altman (who therefore came for nothing). Enough to provoke the anger of Microsoft, investors and employees, many of whom take the side of their fallen boss on social networks. We still don’t know what Sam Altman is really accused of, who seems rather appreciated by his teams.
Sam Altman is set to return
On November 18, several investors tried to convince OpenAI to rehire Sam Altman. Microsoft in particular, through Satya Nadella, has relaunched negotiations with the company’s management. Sam Altman is open to a return and in exchange asks for a change of direction, while the current board of directors no longer seems compatible with his vision of the company.
In a context of massive departures, with several OpenAI employees massively supporting Sam Altman, the return of the father of ChatGPT seems possible.
Mira Murati replaces Sam Altman
To replace Sam Altman, OpenAI has chosen Mira Murati, whom it appoints as interim CEO. She is the former chief technology officer of OpenAI, known to be close to Sam Altman.
November 17: Sam Altman is fired
At the end of the day, Friday November 17, around 9 p.m. in France, OpenAI entered chaos. The structure which works to create an AI benefiting humanity has announced that it is parting ways with Sam Altman, on the pretext that he “ was not always frank in his communications ». A rather mysterious justification, especially when we know to what extent Sam Altman allowed OpenAI to gain notoriety. Enough to fuel numerous theories on the real reasons for his dismissal. Harassment ? Piracy? Revenge ?
In the evening, many details about Sam Altman’s dismissal came out. No one was reportedly notified beforehand, while Sam Altman learned the news during a Google Meet call. Microsoft, which owns 49% of OpenAI, had not been warned. Its CEO Satya Nadella was understandably angry, since he demanded “stability” in exchange for its billion-dollar financing.
Several major OpenAI executives, including Greg Brockman (co-founder and president of OpenAI), Jakub Pachocki (director of research), Aleksander Madry (director of risk management), and Szymon Sidor (a researcher) announced that they left the company.
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