REDWOOD CITY, Calif. and Redmond, Wash. (Nov. 22, 2023) In a surprising turn of events, OpenAI, the renowned AI research lab, has reappointed Sam Altman as its CEO, just days after his abrupt dismissal. Over the weekend, Altman was fired as CEO of OpenAI and later, it was learned that Microsoft had taken him. OpenAI announced Emmett Shear of Twitch as the interim CEO of OpenAI.
However, an hour ago OpenAI announced in its X post that Altman would be back. In the meantime, Altman also claimed the same in his X post.
“We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo.” OpenAI posted on X a while ago.1
“We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this,” it said.
The decision to reinstate Altman was made by OpenAI’s board of directors, who reportedly met with Altman over the weekend to discuss his potential return.
“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 Microsoft on Sunday evening, it was clear that was the best path for me and the team. With the new board and Satya’s support, I’m looking forward to returning to OpenAI, and building on our strong partnership with Microsoft,” Altman said in his X post.2
“We are encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board. We believe this is the first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance.” Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said in his X post, “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,” he said. The board was reportedly swayed by Altman’s vision for the company and his commitment to addressing the issues that led to his initial ousting.
- OpenAI: https://x.com/OpenAI/status/1727206187077370115?s=20[↩]
- OpenAI: https://x.com/sama/status/1727207458324848883?s=20[↩]
