OpenAI Fires Sam Altman as CEO; Cites Lack of Candor

Sam Altman has long been the face of OpenAI, the Microsoft-backed artificial intelligence company. As one of the founders of OpenAI, Altman led the company through many innovations, including the much-hyped ChatGPT. However, in a shocking move, the company’s board announced that it is firing Sam Altman as CEO.

The information comes to us via an official blog post that the company posted on November 17. The move makes it clear that Sam will step down as CEO and immediately leave the board of directors. The official statement in the post quotes the company “a consistent lack of candor in his communications with the board.”

“Mr. Altman’s departure follows a thoughtful review process by the Board, which concluded that he was not consistently forthright in his communications with the Board, which hampered the Board’s ability to discharge its responsibilities. The Board has no longer confident in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”
OPENAI

Altman publicly responded to the news via an X message (formerly Twitter). The ex-CEO mentioned his time at OpenAI “transformative and that he enjoyed working with the people there.” Altman also promised to provide more information about what awaits him later.

I enjoyed my time at Openai. it was transformative for me personally, and hopefully the world a little bit. Most of all, I loved working with such talented people.

will have more to say about the future later.

🫡

— Sam Altman (@sama) November 17, 2023

Mira Murati will take over as interim CEO

Of course, with Sam Altman gone, someone will have to step up. The board has therefore appointed Mira Murati as interim CEO of the company. Murati previously served as the company’s Chief Technology Officer and was praised by the board for her “skills, understanding of the company’s values ​​and activities.” However, OpenAI has also made it clear that this is the case conducting a formal search for a permanent CEO.

Also co-founder and chairman Greg Brockman will step down, but will remain in his position at the company. His decision to quit stems from Altman’s own resignation. The ex-chairman also shared the news via an X-post.

This is shocking news that will certainly shake up the AI ​​community for some time. Only time will tell what the consequences are. What is your opinion on Sam Altman’s departure from OpenAI? Let us know in the comments below.