OpenAI Workers Demand Reinstatement of Ousted CEO
A majority of employees at OpenAI, the renowned artificial intelligence company, have threatened to quit unless the CEO, Sam Altman, and cofounder Greg Brockman are reinstated. The rebellion comes after Altman's firing and has gained support from more than 500 of the company's roughly 770 employees.
In a letter first shared online by veteran technology journalist Kara Swisher, the workers expressed their dissatisfaction with the board's decision to remove Altman and demanded the resignation of the board members responsible. The letter stated, "We are unable to work for or with people that lack competence, judgement, and care for our mission and employees."
Additionally, the employees warned that they would leave OpenAI and join a newly announced Microsoft subsidiary led by Altman and Brockman. They claimed to have received assurances from Microsoft that positions would be available for all OpenAI employees.
The document was signed by Mira Murati, OpenAI's chief technology officer, who briefly served as interim CEO, and Ilya Sutskever, a board member believed to have played a role in Altman's sudden dismissal. Sutskever expressed regret for his involvement in the board's actions, stating on X, "I deeply regret my participation in the board's actions. I never intended to harm OpenAI. I love everything we've built together and I will do everything I can to reunite the company."
Firing of Sam Altman
Altman's sudden removal on Friday surprised his colleagues and Microsoft, the company's largest shareholder and technology partner. OpenAI staffers, including Murati, expressed their concerns on X, stating "Open AI is nothing without its people."
After an unsuccessful attempt to reinstate Altman, OpenAI's four-person board appointed Emmett Shear, the co-founder and former CEO of Twitch, as interim CEO, replacing Murati.
Shear's hiring "will forever be viewed as a tainted move by OpenAI that caused chaos internally and externally," wrote Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives in a note to clients.
"If Microsoft lost Altman, he could have joined other tech companies like Amazon, Google, Apple, or many others seeking global AI expertise," said Ives. "Instead, he is now leading Microsoft's key AI efforts from their headquarters. We expect many key scientists and developers to leave OpenAI and join Microsoft directly."
Despite the rift between the creators of AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT and OpenAI, both Shear and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella expressed their commitment to the partnership. Microsoft has made significant investments in the startup.
OpenAI announced on Friday that Altman was removed due to a lack of consistent communication with the board, which led to a loss of confidence in his leadership abilities.
According to Shear, he plans to make changes within the organization, including significant governance changes if necessary. The board's decision to remove Altman was not due to a specific disagreement on safety, but rather a reference to the ongoing debates surrounding OpenAI's mission to develop AI that surpasses human intelligence.
Last week, OpenAI declined to provide further details on Altman's alleged lack of candor. In their statement, the board stated that Altman's behavior was impeding their ability to fulfill their responsibilities.
