OpenAI CEO Sam Altman fired over 'communication breakdown'

Altman's abrupt ouster as co-founder and CEO of OpenAI on November 17 shocked the company's employees and partners, including key backer Microsoft.

Document shows that ceo altman was fired because of his communication skills picture 1 — Sam Altman, co-founder of OpenAI. Photo: Reuters

His departure, along with that of other senior OpenAI figures, has raised doubts among experts about the company's ability to maintain its $86 billion valuation, and has exposed tensions within the world's most prominent AI startup.

So far, the board has offered little explanation for why the 38-year-old was fired, other than issuing a statement on November 17 that Mr Altman had been “inconsistent” in his views.

In a memo sent to OpenAI staff on November 18, OpenAI director Brad Lightcap wrote: “We can say unequivocally that the board’s decision was not made to address misconduct or anything related to financial, business, safety, or security/privacy measures. This was a breakdown in communication between Sam and the board.”

Mr Lightcap added that the announcement of Mr Altman’s dismissal “came as a surprise to everyone” and that the company’s remaining directors “are completely focused on resolving this issue, working towards a solution and clarity so that the company can get back to work”.

Neither OpenAI nor Mr. Altman would elaborate on what the communications breakdown was. According to a person familiar with the situation, there were concerns at the board level about Mr. Altman’s efforts to raise as much as $100 billion from investors in the Middle East and SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son to create a new chip development company to compete with Nvidia and TSMC.

There is also a growing divide among supporters of Mr. Altman’s efforts to rapidly deploy powerful AI technology and turn a company founded as a nonprofit into a commercial giant.

Speaking to the Financial Times earlier this month, Mr Altman said he was driven by a “moral mission” to develop technology that could significantly improve “people’s quality of life”.

“I think the vast majority of executives at AI companies are taking the risks seriously and want to do the right thing,” Helen Toner, an OpenAI board member and director of strategy at the Georgetown Center for Security and Emerging Technology, told the Financial Times in an interview last month.

At the same time Mr. Altman was fired, Greg Brockman, another co-founder, was stripped of his chairmanship of the board. He announced late on November 17 that he would be leaving the company altogether. A trio of senior researchers also left the company late on November 17, according to a report in The Information.

Hoang Ton (according to FT)

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