Microsoft has hired ousted OpenAI chief Sam Altman along with co-founder Greg Brockman to lead a new advanced AI research team, the tech giant’s CEO Satya Nadella has announced.
Nadella also appeared to confirm the reported appointment of Emmett Shear as the new CEO of OpenAI, a company Microsoft works with, saying that they “look forward to getting to know and working with Emmett Shear and OAI’s new leadership team.”
Altman, who has remained silent since news of his surprise firing broke Friday, responded to the announcement on X simply: “The mission continues.”
With the dramatic move a sure sign that Microsoft is moving forward with its AI investments, Nadella responded: “I am very pleased to welcome you, Sam, as CEO of this new group that sets a new pace for innovation.”
The news that the 38-year-old and some of his OpenAI colleagues will be moving to Microsoft comes after a dramatic weekend in which reports circulated that former Twitch boss Shear is now set to take his place as CEO of the ChatGPT inventor .
Sam Altman will not return as CEO of ChapGPT maker OpenAI, a statement to the company’s employees says – and the recently resigned head of Twitch will take his place on an interim basis
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella made the bombshell announcement on X this morning
OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, who will join the Microsoft team along with Sam Altman
The decision was hailed as a bold move by Nadella, who has made no secret of his ambition to differentiate Microsoft from its competitors in the AI space.
He also wrote down
In response to Altman, Nadella added: “We have learned a lot over the years about how to give founders and innovators space to build independent identities and cultures within Microsoft, including GitHub, Mojang Studios and LinkedIn, and I look forward to it .’that you do the same.’
Altman’s recent surprise firing from the company was called into question by a leaked memo that claimed there was optimism he could be brought back.
But just three hours after OAI co-founder and board director Ilya Sutskever told employees that Altman would not be returning as CEO, Nadella announced that he would instead be moving to partner Microsoft.
On Sunday, Altman posted a snapshot of himself wearing an OpenAI guest pass while visiting his old employer on X, writing, “First and last time I’ll wear one of these.”
Later that same day, The Information, citing an internal statement from Sutskever, reported that Altman’s departure was final. It said Shear, a Yale graduate who co-founded Justin.tv, would become the company’s new interim CEO.
Shear, 40, also co-founded Twitch but suddenly resigned in March, leaving the live streaming platform after more than a decade.
In his new temporary role, he will take control of one of the world’s fastest-growing companies – putting an end to rumors that Altman could return.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Sunday request for comment.
Founded in 2015 by Altman and 10 others, OpenAI launched ChatGPT a year ago — and its ability to mimic human writing has proven polarizing ever since.
In addition to causing public concern, this uncertainty was apparently felt within OpenAI’s six-member board – according to a New York Times report, one of Altman’s co-founders in Sutskever led the charge to fire him.
Sam Altman posted a picture of himself wearing an OpenAI guest pass on Sunday – he said it was the first and last time he would use one
The move, first reported by The Information, comes hours after the surprise firing of the company’s 38-year-old co-founder and sees 40-year-old Emmett Shear (seen here at a web summit in 2018) take over the role interim CEO takes over
In a series of interviews, insiders described how the Soviet-born AI researcher had been worried about OpenAI’s emerging technology in the run-up to the firing, as the company was enjoying meteoric success thanks to its now-viral ChatBot.
The 37-year-old continued to express his belief that his boss wasn’t paying enough attention to such risks – leading three other board members to vote to remove Altman, which led to two more resigning in protest.
There has been an air of secrecy since then, and Altman, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015, only commented on the fall on Friday, albeit rather cryptically.
He wrote in two separate posts to X, formerly Twitter: “I love you all.” [T]Today was a strange experience in many ways. [B]But something unexpected is that it was a bit like reading your own eulogy while you’re still alive.
The firing appeared to catch Altman off guard as he did not elaborate on what may have led to his departure. The company he founded cited a lack of communication between him and other board members as its official reason
‘[T]The love he exudes is amazing. One takeaway: Tell your friends how great you think they are.”
In the other letter, written a few hours before and shortly after his firing, Altman added: “I enjoyed my time at openai.” [I]It changed me personally and hopefully the world a little. [M]Most of all [I] I loved working with such talented people.
‘[W]I can say more about what comes next later.’
Not much has been said since then, sparking a storm of speculation.
The company cited a “lack of communication” between Altman and his fellow board members as the official reason – although two of them, Jakob Pachocki and co-founder Greg Brockman, were apparently surprised by the dismissal.
Both quit in protest of the alleged ambush late Friday night, while the board members who reportedly agreed to the firing, Tasha McCauley, Helen Toner, Adam D’Angelo and Sutskever, remained.
It was reportedly a memo sent by Sutskever claiming that Altman would not be returning to the company as CEO despite other executives trying to bring him back, according to The Information.
The report published Sunday did not provide further details about the new agreement, which was confirmed by multiple media outlets, including Bloomberg, ABC and the Wall Street Journal.
Founded in 2015 by Altman and 10 others, OpenAI launched ChatGPT a year ago — and its ability to mimic human writing has proven polarizing ever since
On Sunday, the medium reported, citing a new internal statement from Altman’s fellow board member and founder Ilya Sutskever, that the maneuver was final and that Shear, a Yale graduate who also helped found Justin.tv, was the new interim CEO. will be CEO of the company
Sutskever reportedly led the charge against Altman – after successfully convincing fellow board members Tasha McCauley (left) and Helen Toner (right).
Altman and former OpenAI President Brockman joined executives at the company’s San Francisco headquarters on Sunday after interim CEO Mira Murati – who had held the position for barely a day – told employees that she had invited Altman, as The Information previously reported.
Insiders who have spoken to the tech site said Altman is discussing a possible return to the company to improve its governance structure as he also considers starting a new artificial intelligence company, Portal reported on Sunday.
The Times report also sheds some light on the still-unresolved meeting between board members, in which Altman appeared via video hours after appearing publicly on behalf of his company at Thursday’s APEC summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping .
An insider said Sutskever read from a script there that closely resembled a post the now $90 million company wrote following the vote – in which his boss’s sudden firing was due to his lack of transparency with the rest of the Board of Directors was returned.
That blog post, while vague, claimed that Altman “was not consistently open in his communications with the board, which compromised its ability to carry out its responsibilities.”
Neither Sutskever — a student at the University of Toronto who contributed to the breakthrough in AI called neural networks — nor Altman immediately responded to The Times’ requests for comment.
Two insiders who spoke to the newspaper added that in his attempt to get his co-founder out of the company, Sutskever also objected to what he saw as a limited role within the company given its somewhat sudden success.
Both women ousted Altman – to the chagrin of fellow board members Jakob Pachocki (left) and Greg Brockman, who both resigned late Friday evening in protest over the alleged ambush
Altman and former OpenAI President Brockman joined executives at the company’s San Francisco headquarters on Sunday after interim CEO Mira Murati – who had held the position for barely a day – told employees that she had invited Altman, as The Information previously reported
Insiders who spoke to the tech website said Altman is discussing a possible return to the company to improve its governance structure as he reportedly considers starting a new AI company
The board ultimately chose Altman, who for many was the human face of generative AI and sent shockwaves through the tech industry.
Altman posted on the messaging platform on Sunday
Altman’s firing angered current and former employees and left them worried about how the sudden management shakeup might affect an upcoming $86 billion stock sale.
Former OpenAI president and co-founder Brockman also arrived at the office on Sunday after sensationally stepping down as chief executive amid the management change, and confirmed on Friday that he had left the company.
If Altman returns to OpenAI, Microsoft, his biggest backer, is considering taking a role on the board, The Information further reported, citing two people familiar with the discussions.
Microsoft could either take a seat on OpenAI’s board or serve as an observer on the board without voting rights, the report added.
Microsoft provided a $10 billion investment to OpenAI Global LLC, in addition to another $1 billion the company received in 2019.
Last month, employees tried to sell some of their shares worth $90 billion, up from a stock sale a few months ago that valued them at around $29 billion.
Forrester analyst Rowan Curran speculated that Altman’s departure, although “sudden,” probably did not reflect deeper business issues.
“This appears to be a case of leadership change that was about issues with the individual in question, rather than the underlying technology or business,” Curran said.