Microsoft made a surprising announcement on Monday, revealing that it has hired Sam Altman and another co-founder of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. Altman and his colleague unexpectedly departed OpenAI, causing a shakeup in the artificial intelligence world.
Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, expressed his excitement about the new additions to the team. Microsoft is a major investor in OpenAI and played a significant role in the development of the popular chatbot that sparked the generative AI trend. Nadella stated that he looks forward to getting to know OpenAI's new CEO, Emmett Shear, and the rest of the management team.
Nadella shared the news on X, formerly known as Twitter, expressing Microsoft's enthusiasm for Altman and Greg Brockman joining the company to lead a new advanced AI research team.
In response to Nadella's tweet, Altman wrote on X, "the mission continues."
Shear also confirmed his appointment as OpenAI's new CEO on X, stating that he received a call offering him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After consulting with his family and reflecting on it for a few hours, he accepted the position.
OpenAI Co-Founder Sam Altman Fired Amid Communication Issues
OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research lab, has announced the firing of co-founder Sam Altman due to concerns about his communication with the board of directors. Altman, who had gained global fame for his work on ChatGPT and his insights into AI's potential dangers, was removed from his position after a review found that he was "not consistently candid in his communications" with the board.
The decision to fire Altman was not related to any specific disagreement on safety, as clarified by OpenAI board member Shear. Shear stated that Altman's removal was based on different reasons and that the board's support for commercializing their models was a crucial factor in his hiring.
OpenAI co-founder Brockman, who recently stepped down as board chairman, expressed his disappointment with Altman's firing and even announced his own resignation in light of the news.
The firing of Altman marks a significant change for OpenAI, as the company moves forward under new leadership and addresses the challenges and opportunities in the field of artificial intelligence.
Brockman revealed that he received news of his removal from the board during a separate call with Sutskever shortly after.
"Sam and I are taken aback and saddened by the board's actions today," Brockman expressed on X.
The technology startup, headquartered in San Francisco, was established in 2015 and introduced the online chatbot ChatGPT about a year ago. This sparked an AI revolution that propelled Altman to fame and granted him meetings with President Joe Biden and other world leaders.
OpenAI's ChatGPT and image generator Dall-E brought generative AI to the forefront, while also igniting debates about the technology's potential to replace workers in various professions and further blurring the distinction between content created by machines and humans. OpenAI has also faced numerous lawsuits from authors, artists, and other creators who claim that the company's technology plagiarized their work.
Under Altman's leadership as CEO, the relatively unknown startup underwent a remarkable transformation, engaging in discussions to sell employee shares to investors at a valuation exceeding $80 billion, as reported by media outlets including Bloomberg News and The New York Times.
Altman, known for his outspoken nature and propensity for stirring controversy, has also garnered attention for raising concerns about AI's potential threat to humanity.
