OpenAI investors call for return of fired former CEO Sam Altman
OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman has been fired after losing the confidence of the board. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Investors of OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, are calling for the return of its former chief executive Sam Altman, who was fired over Google Meet just a day before.
On Friday (17 November), Sam Altman, a gay entrepreneur and co-founder of OpenAI, was ousted from the company in a Google meeting after the board accused him of not being “consistently candid in his communications with the board”.
“The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI,” OpenAI’s statement said.
Following his dismissal, Altman took to X to confirm that he has received an “outpouring of love”, while co-founder and OpenAI ex-president Greg Brockman, tweeted that would resign from the company following Altman’s firing.
But the departure of the pair has seen investors in the company reportedly working on a plan to reinstate Altman.
Four sources, who spoke to Forbes, said venture capital firms holding positions in OpenAI’s for-profit entity have discussed working with Microsoft and senior employees at the company to bring Altman back.
According to the business magazine, Altman has signalled that he intends to launch a new startup.
Should Altman accept going back to OpenAI it is thought those believed to have pushed for his removal will be fired.
Firm, Sequoia Capital, has been in contact with Microsoft to encourage it to restore Altman and Brockman, a source told Forbes.
In January, Microsoft announced its investment into OpenAI, but did not comment on the final figure, which is thought to be around $10 billion. Due to this, Microsoft is a key player in any attempted reinstatement.
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