Sam Altman has been fired by OpenAI. CTO Mira Murati appointed interim CEO to lead OpenAI. Search process is underway to identify a permanent successor!!!!!
It’s such shocking news. As the CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman has been under fire for advocating for AI regulations. Most tech people including myself think prematurely regulating AI will result in regulatory capture by the incumbent and will be bad for humanity. OpenAI was started as a counterforce to Google and the goal is to make AI more open. But as OpenAI grows stronger, the company seems to head into the opposite direction of openness. It’s unclear what happened under the hood for Sam Altman’s firing but this is said in the press release:
Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities. The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.
OpenAI was deliberately structured to advance our mission: to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all humanity. The board remains fully committed to serving this mission. We are grateful for Sam’s many contributions to the founding and growth of OpenAI. At the same time, we believe new leadership is necessary as we move forward. As the leader of the company’s research, product, and safety functions, Mira is exceptionally qualified to step into the role of interim CEO. We have the utmost confidence in her ability to lead OpenAI during this transition period.
So what was Sam Altman lying about that resulted in his firing? Who is going to lead OpenAI next? Will Elon Musk come back? I doubt it. Who else is a good candidate as the CEO of OpenAI? Andrew Ng? Adam D’Angelo? I have so many questions.
Also, people probably don’t realize this but Sam Altman said he doesn’t have any ownership in OpenAI. After he left, does he basically sever all ties with OpenAI, like he is not even a shareholder any more?
Was a huge shock for sure! He seemed pretty installed at the head and CEOs don't normally get fired if things are going well. Which they seemed to have been. Very strange