Breaking: Sam Altman returns to OpenAI as CEO

The brain behind ChatGPT and former CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman is set to return to the company as after a few days of drama that saw his exit from the company he co-founded.  

Altman announced his planned return on Wednesday morning after reports of serious negotiations with the board of OpenAI all through Tuesday.

He said the return is supported by Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, who on Monday had announced that Altman and his colleagues from OpenAI were joining Microsoft. 

The OpenAI founder said the decision to join Microsoft two days after he was fired by the OpenAI board was the best at that time.  

What Altman said

• “I love OpenAI, and everything I’ve done over the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together. When I decided to join Microsoft on Sunday evening, it was clear that was the best path for me and the team. With the new board and with Satya’s support, I’m looking forward to returning to OpenAI and building on our strong partnership with Microsoft,” Altman stated in a post on X Wednesday morning.

OpenAI also released a short statement confirming that it has reached an agreement in principle for Altman to return under a new board.  

• “We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo. We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this,” the company said in a post on X.

The negotiation

On Monday, the company’s Vice President of Global Affairs Anna Makanju sent a memo to staff saying the company had been in “intense discussions” with the board, Altman, and the Acting CEO Shear to unify the company.

The message came after the majority of employees threatened to quit if Altman were not reinstated, among other demands. 

The board had come under intense scrutiny for its decision to fire Altman, saying that the CEO was not “consistently candid in his communications.” In the days since, board members and staffers have said that the CEO’s removal was unrelated to “malfeasance” or “safety,” leaving an information vacuum. Satya Nadella, CEO of OpenAI’s largest investor Microsoft Corp., has said publicly that he has been given no explanation. 

Hundreds of OpenAI staff had also threatened to quit unless Altman was returned, thus creating chaos that forced the board to rethink their actions.