OpenAI: Why was CEO Sam Altman sacked? Lack of transparency, personal issues,
(Bloomberg) — When OpenAI’s board made the shocking decision to fire Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman on the Friday before Thanksgiving, it offered little detail beyond a statement that the leader of the artificial intelligence startup was not “consistently candid” with its directors.
The statement, devoid of any details, was the opening volley in a power struggle that played out almost entirely behind closed doors. Privately, Altman and the board jockeyed over what to say publicly and when, according to people familiar with the situation. At one point, during the discussions about Altman’s possible return as CEO, he offered to publicly apologize for misrepresenting some board members’ views in conversations when he was lobbying for a director’s removal, the people said.
But the board was concerned that an apology in relation to one incident could make it sound like it was the sole reason he had been fired, one person said, and the directors believed the issues were deeper.
The board has declined to elaborate on its reasoning, citing an ongoing independent investigation, but more details are surfacing around the decision-making. According to multiple people familiar with the board’s thinking who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations, the directors’ move was the culmination of months spent mulling issues around Altman’s strategic maneuvering and a perceived lack of transparency in his communications with directors.
In a statement, an OpenAI spokesperson told Bloomberg News, “We look forward to the findings of the board’s independent review. Our primary focus remains on developing and releasing useful and safe AI, and supporting the new board as they work to make improvements to our governance structure.” On Friday, OpenAI’s chairman said that two lawyers from WilmerHale would be leading the review.
Board members had begun talking about whether to remove Altman earlier in the fall, according to one person. The group at the time consisted of Altman, President Greg Brockman and the four people who would ultimately oust him as CEO: OpenAI Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever, Quora Inc. CEO Adam D’Angelo, AI academic Helen Toner and entrepreneur Tasha McCauley. The company has an unusual structure — with the unpaid, nonprofit board overseeing an artificial intelligence startup juggernaut. Directors’ chief goal is to safely shepherd the development of AI.
The board had heard from some senior executives at OpenAI who had issues with Altman, said one person familiar with directors’ thinking. But employees approached board members warily because they were scared of potential repercussions of Altman finding out they had spoken out against him, the person said. The Washington Post previously reported some details of the employee unrest.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the company stressed that in the aftermath of Altman’s firing, OpenAI’s senior leadership team unanimously asked for Altman to come back as CEO and for the board to resign. “The strong support from his team underscores that he is an effective CEO who is open to different points of view, willing to solve complex challenges, and demonstrates care for his team,” the statement said.
As the board mulled Altman’s leadership, Sutskever’s concerns had been building. Before joining OpenAI, the Israeli-Canadian computer scientist worked at Google Brain and was a researcher at Stanford University. In July, he formed a new team at the company to bring “super intelligent” future AI systems under control. And in October, Sutskever’s responsibilities at the company were reduced, reflecting friction between him and Altman and Brockman. Sutskever later appealed to the board, winning over some members, including Toner, the director of strategy at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.
Also in October, Altman attempted…
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