Microsoft’s Chief, Satya Nadella, announced on Monday that the co-founders of OpenAI, Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, have been hired to lead a new advanced AI research team at the software conglomerate.
This decision follows the unexpected dismissal of Altman by OpenAI’s board, which led to several members, including Brockman, leaving the firm in protest.
Nadella stated that Altman and Brockman will be joined by other colleagues, indicating that Microsoft is also recruiting many other individuals who departed from OpenAI recently.
He expressed eagerness to provide them with the necessary resources for their success, garnering praise from tech entrepreneurs for his swift execution.
Despite the surprise action taken by OpenAI’s board, Nadella emphasized Microsoft’s continued commitment to the startup. Microsoft has invested over $10 billion in OpenAI and acquired nearly 50% ownership.
Notably, Nadella successfully convinced and recruited the former leaders of OpenAI before the market opened on Monday.
Altman, who had been the public face of OpenAI, led the most valuable U.S. startup. In addition to being a frontrunner in the current AI race, OpenAI has become a kingmaker for numerous startups leveraging its software offerings within a short period.
Microsoft’s investment in OpenAI has also bolstered its own AI efforts, enabling it to court many businesses and instill confidence in Wall Street regarding the future prospects of the long-established software giant.
Following a turbulent weekend, Sam Altman was removed from his position at OpenAI by the organization’s board on Friday. Shortly after, Greg Brockman also resigned.
Despite negotiations for their potential return to OpenAI, an agreement was not reached, and the discussions concluded on Sunday.
In response, the OpenAI board appointed former Twitch CEO and co-founder, Emmett Shear, as the interim chief executive. OpenAI has not provided any comment on the matter.
During the weekend, Altman reportedly began pitching a new AI venture to investors, as reported by the New York Times.
Despite the developments, Microsoft remains committed to its partnership with OpenAI. Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, expressed confidence in their product roadmap, innovation efforts, and continued support for customers and partners. He also expressed eagerness to collaborate with Emmett Shear and OpenAI’s new leadership team.
The reasoning behind Altman’s removal, as stated by the OpenAI board, was his lack of consistent transparency in conversations with them.
However, the board did not provide further clarification, which caused frustration among many OpenAI employees. Andrej Karpathy, a research scientist at OpenAI, expressed disappointment in the board’s actions and their failure to explain the decision.
UPDATE: OpenAI said Sam Altman to rejoin OpenAI
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