On Nov. 21, OpenAI said it had reinstated Sam Altman as its chief executive—the latest chapter in a saga that involved a boardroom coup and staff backlash.
The company, which is behind ChatGPT, also said it would create a new board of directors, NPR reported. This comes after the former board voted to fire Altman as CEO last week.
OpenAI’s board of directors removed Altman over differences that involved balancing safety with artificial intelligence with the desire to release new AI tools. However, after Altman’s firing, hundreds of employees demanded his return and they threatened to quit the company.
Then, by Nov. 20, Microsoft, which owns 49% of OpenAI, announced it had hired Altman to lead its new AI team. Microsoft also announced that Greg Brockman—a board member and the former OpenAI president who quit in protest after Altman’s removal—would be joining the new AI division at Microsoft alongside Altman.
Altman, 38, is openly gay. His partner is Australian software engineer Oliver Mulherin, and they recently expressed a desire to have children, Business Insider noted.
—Andrew Davis