The weekend unfolded with unexpected developments at OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters. On Friday, the board of directors made the surprising decision to dismiss co-founder and CEO Sam Altman, triggering an institutional crisis. This move prompted senior staff to resign in protest, and nearly 700 rank-and-file employees are now considering similar action. Adding to the complexity, Microsoft swiftly hired Altman for its own AI projects. As tensions escalate, there are growing calls for the resignation of OpenAI’s board, creating a situation that promises to be a topic of discussion for those seeking to stay informed at Thanksgiving gatherings on Thursday. The weekend unfolded
This saga commenced what seems like an eternity in internet time, or just last Thursday in everyday terms. According to a tweet from former company president Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s head researcher and board member, Ilya Sutskever, reached out to Sam Altman to arrange a meeting for the following day at noon. In the same tweet chain, posted on Friday night, Brockman accused the company of informing the first interim CEO, OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, about the impending firings at that moment.
Everything kicked off at that Friday noon meeting. Brockman was informed that he would be demoted — removed from the board but remain president of the company, reporting to Murati once she’s installed. Barely ten minutes later, Brockman alleges, Altman was informed of his termination as the public announcement was published. Sutskever subsequently sent a company-wide email stating that “Change can be scary,” per The Information.