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505 OpenAI employees threaten to quit and call on the board to resign over Sam Altman’s firing

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Summary

Hundreds of OpenAI employees are threatening to quit and calling for the board's resignation after the surprise firing of CEO Sam Altman over the weekend. In a letter obtained by CNN, they accused the board of mishandling Altman's firing, failing to provide sufficient evidence for claims, and negotiating in bad faith. They have demanded the board resign and reinstate Altman and Greg Brockman, or else they will follow Altman to Microsoft. Mira Murati, recently appointed by the board as Altman's interim successor, is among the signatories, as well as co-founder and board member Ilya Sutskever, who has apologized for his role in the crisis. The letter highlights the internal divides at OpenAI, and raises doubts about the fate of the non-employee board members. Microsoft has assured the employees of positions for them if they choose to follow Altman.

Q&As

What prompted more than 500 OpenAI employees to threaten to resign and call on the board to resign?
The more than 500 OpenAI employees threatened to resign and call on the board to resign after the surprise ouster of CEO Sam Altman.

What accusations did the OpenAI employees make in their letter?
The OpenAI employees accused the board of mishandling Altman’s firing, failing to provide sufficient evidence for claims that Altman had not been candid with the board, and “negotiating in bad faith” with the company’s executive leadership.

What role did OpenAI co-founder and board member Ilya Sutskever play in the leadership crisis?
Ilya Sutskever had been widely reported as having played a role in Altman’s dismissal.

Who has been appointed as the interim CEO of OpenAI?
Emmett Shear, the co-founder of the livestreaming company Twitch, has been appointed as the interim CEO of OpenAI.

What did Sam Altman say in response to Ilya Sutskever's apology?
Sam Altman amplified Ilya Sutskever's apology by quote-posting it and adding a short commentary consisting of three heart emojis.

AI Comments

👍 The OpenAI employees are exhibiting admirable loyalty to their former CEO and their mission by threatening to quit and calling on the board to resign.

👎 The OpenAI board has mishandled the situation, failing to provide sufficient evidence for claims that Altman had not been candid with them.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about a group of 505 OpenAI employees threatening to quit and calling for the board to resign over Sam Altman's firing.

Friend: Wow, that's quite a statement. What are the implications of this?

Me: Well, first off, it shows just how much influence and loyalty Altman had at OpenAI. Secondly, it highlights the internal divisions at OpenAI that erupted after Altman's departure and puts into question the fate of the board members. Moreover, it demonstrates the opportunity that Microsoft now has to benefit from the situation. Finally, it shows that the employees are committed to the mission of OpenAI and are willing to take a stand to ensure that it is preserved.

Action items

Research OpenAI and its mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.
Follow the developments of the OpenAI board and the employees’ response to the situation.
Consider the implications of the OpenAI board’s actions and the potential impact of Sam Altman’s move to Microsoft.

Technical terms

OpenAI: OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research laboratory founded in 2015 by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and others.
Sam Altman: Sam Altman is an American entrepreneur, investor, programmer, and blogger. He is the former president of Y Combinator and the co-chairman of OpenAI.
Greg Brockman: Greg Brockman is an American computer scientist and entrepreneur. He is the former president of OpenAI and the co-founder and CTO of Stripe.
Mira Murati: Mira Murati is an American computer scientist and entrepreneur. She is the former interim CEO of OpenAI.
Ilya Sutskever: Ilya Sutskever is a Russian-born computer scientist and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder, chief scientist, and board member of OpenAI.
Emmett Shear: Emmett Shear is an American entrepreneur and computer scientist. He is the co-founder of the livestreaming company Twitch and the incoming interim CEO of OpenAI.
Adam D’Angelo: Adam D’Angelo is an American entrepreneur and computer scientist. He is the CEO of Quora and a non-employee board member of OpenAI.
Tasha McCauley: Tasha McCauley is an American entrepreneur and computer scientist. She is a non-employee board member of OpenAI.
Helen Toner: Helen Toner is an American computer scientist and policy expert. She is the director of strategy and foundational research grants at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology and a non-employee board member of OpenAI.
Microsoft: Microsoft is an American multinational technology company that develops, manufactures, licenses, supports, and sells computer software, consumer electronics, and related services.