Former Open AI CEO Sam Altman is set to return to his former position after a brief hiatus. The power struggled occurred when the board declared it no longer had confidence in Altman due to lack of candor.
The firing precipitated great disturbance in Open AI. Microsoft made an announcement that it would hire those who left the company. Many threatened to do so if the board didn’t reinstate Altman. NBC News reports:
The hot tech startup behind ChatGPT said late Tuesday that Altman and the board of the nonprofit group that oversees the company came to an agreement in principle for Altman to return as CEO with a new board to replace the one that ousted him Friday.
Altman’s return should quell what was an all-out revolt by OpenAI employees against his removal and mark the beginning of the end of one of the most-watched corporate sagas in tech history.
Open AI is particularly vulnerable to leadership change, as it does not possess the resilience of Big Tech firms which would allow for this. Altman’s leadership propelled Chat GPT as the top AI firm at the end of 2022. The New York Times has more:
The ouster kicked off efforts by Mr. Altman, 38, his allies in the tech industry and OpenAI’s employees to force the company’s board to bring him back. On Sunday evening, after a weekend of negotiations, the board said it was going to stick with its decision.
But in a head-spinning development just hours later, Microsoft said that Mr. Altman, Mr. Brockman and others would be joining the company to start a new advanced artificial intelligence lab.
Altman’s firing and rehiring could keep the company stable in the near future. However, the power struggle itself has caused uncertainty in the company’s future, which could impact its long term prospects.
READ NEXT: Apple Hit With Another Lawsuit
