Sam Altman wins power struggle at OpenAI, returning from board purge

OpenAI co-founder's ouster angers employees and investors Photo: AP Photo/Eric Risberg

OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman agreed to return as CEO after power struggle with the board of the creator of ChatGPT, less than five days after his dramatic ouster.

The artificial intelligence (AI) company said it had reached an agreement in principle to be reinstated. Mr. Altman.

As part of the deal, three of the four board members who fired Mr. Altman on Friday will step down as directors.

Larry Summers, the former U.S. Treasury secretary, will join him. board of directors, and Bret Taylor, a former Facebook and Google executive and former chairman of Twitter, will become chairman of OpenAI.

The news caps five frantic days that have gripped Silicon Valley and seen hundreds of employees revolt, questioning the future of one one of the world's most advanced artificial intelligence companies.

Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers will join OpenAI's board of directors. Photo: Ting Shen/Bloomberg

On Friday, OpenAI's board of directors fired Altman and expelled chairman Greg Brockman, saying the former had not been «consistently forthcoming in his communications.»

The directors are believed to have fallen out with Mr Altman over his perceived focus on the commercial success of OpenAI, which is set up as a not-for-profit entity but has become extremely valuable since the launch of ChatGPT last year.

The board was briefly replaced Emmett Shear, co-founder of the streaming company Twitch, and Microsoft, OpenAI's largest investor, promised to hire Altman.

However, anger over Altman's dismissal led to most employees threatening to leave, forcing OpenAI to enter into negotiations with its founder.

I don't know who the director and screenwriter are, but I'm enjoying this drama. pic.twitter.com/kf66rh4JD5

— Dr. Apoorv (@MEAInd) November 22, 2023

After the agreement, Mr. Altman said Wednesday morning: “I love OpenAI and everything I’ve done for it time. The last few days have been about keeping this team and its mission united.

“When I decided to join Microsoft on Sunday evening, it became clear that this was the best path for me and the team. With the new board of directors and the support of [Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella], I look forward to returning to OpenAI and building on our strong partnership with Microsoft.”

Mr. Brockman said he, too, is returning.

Adam D'Angelo, the only surviving member of the four directors who ousted Mr Altman on Friday, will remain on the board, while academic Helen Toner and entrepreneur Tasha McCauley will leave, along with Ilya Sutskever, the executive OpenAI. chief scientist seen as leading the coup.

Mr Nadella, whose $13bn (£10.4bn) investment in OpenAI made the Microsoft chief a key player in the saga, said: «We are excited about the changes to the OpenAI board. We believe this is an important first step towards more stable, well-informed and effective management.

Ms. Toner, one of the board members who ousted Mr. Altman, said after the announcement: “ Now we’ll all get some sleep.”