OpenAI executives are reportedly having “intense discussions” about how to avoid a staff exodus following the surprise ouster of CEO Sam Altman, who has since accepted a job at Microsoft.
On Monday, more than 700 members of the startup behind ChatGPT’s 770 employees signed a letter threatening to resign if the board does not reinstate Altman. That led OpenAI’s vice president of global affairs, Anna Makanju, to deliver an internal memo attempting to rally the company’s workforce, according to Bloombergwho reviewed the message.
Makanju assured that OpenAI management is in contact with Altman, Shear and the board of directors, “but they are not prepared to give us a final answer tonight,” he wrote, according to Bloomberg.
The extent of OpenAI’s talks with Altman, or whether they involved giving the 38-year-old AI genius his job back, remains unclear.
Over the weekend, OpenAI’s board named former Twitch boss Emmett Shear as interim CEO of the ChatGPT maker, capping three whirlwind days of executive changes at the AI firm that also saw Greg Brockman, Altman’s close ally and company president, jump to Microsoft. .
OpenAI representatives did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment.
Altman may not even want his old job back, as he’s already been offered a cozy CEO position leading a new AI research team at Microsoft, OpenAI’s largest investor.
In his new role, Altman will still be able to work with OpenAI, which is currently involved in a $10 billion “multi-year” partnership with Microsoft. “Satya and my top priority remain ensuring openai continues to thrive,” Altman published in X on Monday.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella echoed the sentiment in his own posts: “We remain committed to our partnership with OpenAI,” he said. tweeted on Monday, the same day he gave his first interview since Altman’s ouster, which shook Silicon Valley.
speaking to CNBCNadella left the door open for more OpenAI employees to get a job at Microsoft.
Nadella said it is up to all employees whether they remain in their current roles or accept a new position at Microsoft. “I’m open to both options,” she told CNBC.
No matter where employees end up, “I think it’s very clear that something has to change around governance,” Nadella told the outlet.
He added that Microsoft would have “a good dialogue with its [OpenAI’s] address that.”
The Post has sought comment from Microsoft.
