In addition to Altman’s reinstatement, OpenAI has unveiled a new board of directors, marking a significant development in the organization’s leadership.
The new board comprises Chairman Bret Taylor, formerly the co-CEO of Salesforce; Larry Summers, the former Treasury Secretary; and Adam D’Angelo, the CEO of Quora. Notably, Adam D’Angelo is the sole remaining director from the previous board that removed Sam Altman on November 17. Furthermore, Microsoft, a key stakeholder, has secured a non-voting observer seat on OpenAI’s board. This change comes after Microsoft had initially recruited both Sam Altman and former OpenAI Chairman Greg Brockman, only to have them return to OpenAI a few days later—a situation that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella reportedly accepted.
OpenAI has described this new board as “initial,” suggesting that additional directors may be added in the future.
In a blog post, Sam Altman expressed his gratitude to the previous board that had terminated his role and acknowledged their contributions to the company. Altman also reinstated Mira Murati as OpenAI’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Murati briefly held the position of interim CEO for a little over a day until OpenAI announced that Emmett Shear, the former CEO of Twitch, would take over as CEO. Shear’s tenure in that role lasted for less than a week.
The upheaval within OpenAI prompted the majority of its 800 employees to threaten resignation unless Sam Altman and Greg Brockman were reinstated. Notably, Ilya Sutskever, a former board member who played a significant role in Altman’s removal, was among the signatories of this demand. Sutskever later expressed regret for his actions and apologized.
The status of Ilya Sutskever’s role as Chief Scientist at OpenAI remains uncertain, as he was not included in Sam Altman’s leadership team list. Altman, however, stated his respect and admiration for Sutskever and expressed hope for continued collaboration with him at OpenAI.
Sam Altman extended his heartfelt appreciation to Greg Brockman, emphasizing their partnership in leading the company and acknowledging Brockman’s contributions.
Altman also praised OpenAI’s employees and customers, highlighting the fact that the organization did not lose any of them during the tumultuous period. He stressed the remarkable unity and resilience displayed by the OpenAI team.
Looking forward, Sam Altman acknowledged the need for improved governance within the organization and the necessity of appointing an independent investigator to examine the circumstances surrounding his removal.
In a post on the platform X, Altman acknowledged the existence of “real misunderstandings” between him and certain board members. He emphasized the importance of learning from this experience and welcomed the board’s independent review of recent events as a valuable step forward for the company.
