Sam Altman, the CEO of AI firm OpenAI, is returning to its Board of Directors following a Special Committee investigation into his firing last year. The investigation concluded that his removal was not warranted based on his actions. OpenAI also welcomes three new Board members: Sue Desmond-Hellmann, former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Nicole Seligman, formerly of Sony Corp., and Fidji Simo, the current CEO and Chair of Instacart.
Altman was dismissed from his CEO position and the Board in November 2020 for erratic communication habits. Following his exit, OpenAI's President and co-founder Greg Brockman also left the company in protest. This led to the threat of a mass walk-out by employees if Altman was not reinstated.
Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft Corp. and OpenAI's largest investor, was not informed about Altman's dismissal. Nadella later declared that Altman and Brockman would be joining Microsoft to lead an advanced AI research team. Altman was then reinstated as CEO.
A subsequent investigation by the OpenAI Board's Special Committee found a loss of trust between the previous Board and Altman as the key factor behind the November 17 events. The findinds showed that Altman's dismissal was not due to product safety, development pace, financial issues or company communication with investors, customers, or business partners. The report concluded that the previous Board acted within its rights to remove Altman, but his actions did not necessitate such a drastic measure.
Upon the completion of the review, the Board echoed the Special Committee's recommendations affirming their faith in Altman and Brockman's leadership. Board Chair, Bret Taylor, affirmed that Altman and Brockman were the right leaders for OpenAI.
However, the recent developments coincide with founding member Elon Musk filing a lawsuit against OpenAI and Altman. Musk alleges that the company is prioritizing profits over its original mission of creating AI for the benefit of humanity. In response, OpenAI publicized emails from Musk acknowledging the need for significant funding to achieve its AI projects. According to the emails, Musk argued with OpenAI executives about diversifying their revenue sources to ensure success.
