OpenAI sees four CEOs come and go in five days
In the most bizarre five days in Silicon Valley history, the CEO position at OpenAI has been a revolving door. The drama started when Sam Altman was fired as CEO, only to be reinstated a few days later.
Initially, OpenAI’s board fired Altman and appointed Mira Murati as the new interim CEO. However, this move escalated quickly as social media erupted with confusion and backlash concerning the popular CEO’s dismissal. Many compared it to the infamous firing of Steve Jobs from Apple.
The situation worsened when Emmett Shear was named as the new interim CEO, only to face scrutiny due to his controversial public tweets. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and Salesforce’s Marc Benioff attempted to recruit OpenAI employees to join their own AI ventures.
As over 700 of the 770 employees at OpenAI threatened to quit if Altman wasn’t reinstated, board member Ilya Sutsever expressed deep regret over the firing, igniting further chaos. Throughout the turmoil, uncertainty loomed as no one knew how the situation would resolve.
Amidst the chaos, Altman was eventually reinstated as the CEO of OpenAI, with new members added to the board. The whole situation played out like a dramatic plotline on a TV show, leaving many jobs and the future of artificial intelligence at risk.
The saga unraveled during a particularly quiet news week, proving that even the quietest days in the business world can produce major headlines. However, the numerous unexpected twists and turns at OpenAI have certainly made this story one to remember.
