OpenAI Coup: Sam Altman to lead new AI team in Microsoft, says CEO Satya Nadella

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Monday said that ousted OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Greg Brockman will be joining Microsoft to lead a "new advanced AI research team". The new appointment comes days after Altman was fired from OpenAI in what seemed like a hostile boardroom takeover. The new appointment will allow Microsoft to deliver on all the features and promises made during the recent Microsoft Ignite conference.

Nadella also hinted that Altman and Brockman will be joined by 'colleagues' which indicated that Microsoft will be absorbing the OpenAI talent that had plans to leave along with Altman after his ouster over the weekend. By adding Altman to their payroll, Microsoft will be able to stop his loyalists at OpenAI from joining rivals like Google, and Meta. 

Nadella also confirmed Emmett Shear's appointment as the new OpenAI interim CEO, saying they are "looking forward to getting to know Emmett Shear and OAI's new leadership team and working with them." 

"We remain committed to our partnership with OpenAI and have confidence in our product roadmap, our ability to continue to innovate with everything we announced at Microsoft Ignite, and in continuing to support our customers and partners. We look forward to getting to know Emmett Shear and OAI's new leadership team and working with them. And we’re extremely excited to share the news that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, together with colleagues, will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team," said Nadella on X platform (formerly Twitter).

We remain committed to our partnership with OpenAI and have confidence in our product roadmap, our ability to continue to innovate with everything we announced at Microsoft Ignite, and in continuing to support our customers and partners. We look forward to getting to know Emmett…

— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) November 20, 2023

Sam Altman, also quoted the same tweet with the caption, "the mission continues". Earlier on Sunday, both Altman and Brockman were invited to the OpenAI office. However, the discussions of Altman's return to OpenAI fell through as the board decided to go with Emmett Shear as the new interim CEO, replacing Mira Murati who was appointed CEO on Saturday. 

After the talks to reinstate Altman in OpenAI failed, the board sent a memo to existing employees highlighting the reasons why Altman was removed. In the memo, cited by the New York Times, the board accused Altman with lack of transparency. The memo said, “put simply, Sam’s behavior and lack of transparency in his interactions with the board undermined the board’s ability to effectively supervise the company in the manner it was mandated to do.”

Also read: Sam Altman won’t return to OpenAI: Employees start quitting in dozens after announcement

Also read: ‘All money in the world won't matter if AI goes wrong’: Elon Musk wants OpenAI to disclose reason for firing Sam Altman