OpenAI’s Executive Shake-Up: A Week of Turmoil and Leadership Changes

In a surprising turn of events in the tech industry, the turmoil at OpenAI unfolded over six days, culminating in Sam Altman’s return as CEO after initially being forced to resign. The sequence of events commenced on November 16 when Altman received a late-night text requesting his participation in a Google Meet chat on Friday. Subsequently, Mira Murati was appointed as the new CEO, leading to Microsoft learning of Altman’s removal just a minute before the public announcement on November 17.

OpenAI released a statement about Altman’s departure and Greg Brockman stepping down as president. On November 18, Microsoft expressed its commitment to a long-term partnership with OpenAI. Despite internal assurances that Altman’s dismissal wasn’t linked to violations, Microsoft announced on November 19 that Altman and Brockman would lead a new research unit.

Altman, in a tweet, expressed that the mission continues. On November 20, OpenAI appointed Emmett Shear as another interim CEO. However, the majority of OpenAI’s employees signed an open letter on November 20, calling for the board’s resignation. On November 21, OpenAI launched ChatGPT with Voice, and the acting CEO shared a photo with Altman and Brockman, stating they were still working on it. After 10 PM on the same night, OpenAI confirmed a preliminary deal for Altman’s return as CEO with a new board led by Bret Taylor, former Salesforce co-CEO.