In a letter to the company, more than 500 OpenAI employees accused the OpenAI board of mishandling the firing of CEO Altman, failing to provide sufficient evidence to back up claims that Altman was dishonest with the board and “negotiated in bad faith” with the company’s leadership.
CEO Sam Altman joined Microsoft after being fired by OpenAI. Photo: Reuters
“Your actions have made it clear that you are not capable of running OpenAI,” the employees wrote. “We cannot work for or with people who lack the competence, judgment, and care for our mission and our employees.”
Employees also warned that they would follow Altman to Microsoft unless the board stepped down and reinstated the CEO, as well as Greg Brockman, the former president of OpenAI, who was also ousted by the board on Friday.
Among the signatories were Mira Murati, who was appointed by the board to temporarily fill Altman’s role, and Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s co-founder. Murati has since been replaced by CEO Emmett Shear, the 40-year-old co-founder of the video streaming company Twitch.
The letter underscores the internal divisions at OpenAI following Altman’s firing, and raises further questions about the fate of the three remaining board members who do not work directly at the company. That list includes Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, tech entrepreneur Tasha McCauley, and Helen Toner, a director at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.
The discontent among OpenAI’s senior members and employees reflects their support and loyalty to Altman. It also represents an opportunity for Microsoft to acquire OpenAI talent. “Microsoft has assured us that all OpenAI employees will have job positions,” the letter added.
Bui Huy (according to CNN, Reuters, FT)
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