Mystery behind removal of Sam Altman from OpenAI is finally unravelling; the board was already at war

Prior to Sam Altman's removal from his position as CEO of OpenAI, he had disagreements with Helen Toner, an AI researcher and a director on the company’s non-profit board. Altman was trying to remove Toner from the board and was involving other board members in this process, according to a report by The Information. This provides more context to the public dispute that occurred on Friday leading to one of the biggest corporate dramas in recent history. Altman’s removal from the company resulted in four senior employees resigning and caused four days of disruption within the startup. 

The tiff within the board ahead of Altman’s departure could have been the trigger that led to his ouster. Recent reports suggest that Sam Altman and OpenAI's board have reopened discussions about Altman’s return to OpenAI. A report by Bloomberg claims that the discussions are happening between Altman and at least one board member, Adam D'Angelo. Altman could return as a director on a transitional board. 

Also Read: ‘Enjoying this drama’ say netizens after Sam Altman's return to OpenAI; check out funniest reactions

Another big hurdle for the current OpenAI board is the lack of steady leadership in the absence of Altman. The new interim CEO, Emmett Shear, has reportedly conveyed that he won’t continue to lead the company if the board does not clearly state the reason behind Altman's ouster. The current OpenAI board consists of Quora's D'Angelo, Tasha McCauley, Helen Toner and OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever.

Microsoft, the company that has a 49% stake in OpenAI has also decided to step in with offers to both the CEO and the employees planning to leave the company. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has offered Altman a position within their ranks. However, in a recent interview, Nadella opened speculations about Altman’s return to OpenAI in some capacity. The CEO claimed that even if Altman works with OpenAI, he will continue to partner with Microsoft.

Also read

Meet OpenAI’s new chairman who co-created Google Maps, was Facebook’s CTO and Salesforce’s CEO

Meet the OpenAI exec who told Sam Altman he was fired but later apologised

‘With Sam Altman till the end’: Salesforce CEO offers jobs to any OpenAI researcher who has quit, they refused