Sam Altman’s abrupt departure from OpenAI made headlines over three months ago. The CEO of OpenAI was abruptly fired, with no explanation provided. Following Altman’s ouster, OpenAI issued a statement stating that they no longer trusted him to lead the company. Altman was reinstated as CEO five days after the incident. A lot had happened during this time, including company employees threatening to quit and join Microsoft if Altman did not return. After returning as CEO, Altman fired all previous board members and formed a new board.
However, questions about his departure remained. According to The Ultimate News, an upcoming report from an external law firm could reveal more details about the decision and the chaotic five days leading up to Altman’s return. And, ahead of the law firm’s report, a new detail about the overall scenario has emerged. According to The Ultimate News OpenAI’s CTO Mira Murati played a key role in Altman’s ouster. To recall, when Altman was ousted from the company, Murati served as interim CEO.
According to the Ultimate News, Murati wrote a private memo to Altman expressing concerns about his management and shared them with the board. This influenced the decision to remove Altman, as per insiders.
Around the same time, Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s co-founder and chief scientist, expressed similar concerns, citing Altman’s history of manipulative behaviour. Both executives described their turbulent relationship with Altman. While it is unclear whether they provided specific examples, they suggested that Altman occasionally created a toxic work environment by excluding executives who disagreed with his decisions.
Ms. Murati’s discussions with the board provide insight into challenges within OpenAI’s top management, despite the fact that both leaders publicly supported Mr. Altman’s return to the company.
WilmerHale, the law firm conducting the investigation, is expected to conclude its investigations soon, and the firm’s new board of directors may be announced at the same time. After Mr. Altman returned to the company in November, several directors had left the board.
Hannah Wong, OpenAI’s spokesperson, stated that the company’s senior leadership team, led by Murati during her tenure as interim CEO, had requested Altman’s return. This sentiment was expressed in an open letter signed by 95% of OpenAI’s employees. According to the Ultimate News, Wong’s strong support from his team demonstrates that he is an effective CEO who is open to different points of view, willing to solve complex problems, and cares about his team. We look forward to the independent review’s findings versus unsubstantiated claims.”
Altman declined to comment, while Sutskever’s lawyer denied that he approached the board. Murati did not respond to requests for comment, but later told OpenAI employees that she and Altman have a strong partnership and that she has never stopped providing direct feedback to him.
Employees at OpenAI, particularly those who threatened to quit during Altman’s dismissal, are hoping the WilmerHale investigation will shed light on the events. It’s unclear whether the full report or a summary will be made public.