After days of boardroom turmoil in Microsoft-backed company OpenAI, Sam Altman made a comeback as the CEO of the artificial intelligence firm on November 30. He was reinstated at the top post after being fired from the company on November 17.
In an interview with The Verge, Altman revealed the real reason why he decided to accept the proposal from the board, and why he was sacked as the OpenAI CEO in the first place. The tech wiz revealed that he was “hurt and angry” but ultimately decided to accept the position once again.
Sam Altman revealed in the interview that when he first received the offer to be the CEO of OpenAI once again, it “took him a while to get over the ego and emotions”. Eventually, he decided to accept the proposal put forward for him.
“Obviously, I really loved the company and had poured my life force into this for the last four and a half years full time, but really longer than that with most of my time. And we’re making such great progress on the mission that I care so much about, the mission of safe and beneficial AGI,” he said in the interview.
Ousted from OpenAI on November 17, the board members of the company said that Altman and top management had differences over his opinions on AI security, saying that the CEO had not been “completely candid” with the board.
When asked about why he was sacked from OpenAI last month, Sam Altman decided to refrain from giving the internal details of the decision. He also said that he “welcomes” the independent investigation into his dismissal, led by OpenAI’s Bret Taylor.
Talking about accepting the position once again, Altman told The Verge, “It was really interesting. Saturday morning, some of the board called me and asked if I’d be up for talking about it. And my immediate reaction was sort of one of defiance. It was like, Man, I’m hurt and angry, and I think this sucks.”
Sam Altman’s fired, re-hired as OpenAI CEO
Sam Altman was sacked as the CEO of OpenAI on November 17, when the ChatGPT maker announced in a blogpost. Greg Brockman and three other senior executives of the firm resigned in solidarity, causing a scuffle in the board.
Days later, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that Altman is being hired as the head of an AI research programme in the firm. However, OpenAI employees threatened to resign if Altman was reinstated at the top post.
While many directors resisted his comeback, Sam Altman was offered the CEO post at OpenAI once again, with Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo as the new board members.