OpenAI, the renowned artificial intelligence research lab, is grappling with a major internal crisis as a majority of its workforce, comprising about 700 out of approximately 770 employees, is on the brink of resigning.
The uproar stems from the abrupt ousting of CEO Sam Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman, leading to a call for their reinstatement and the resignation of the four-person board responsible for their dismissal.
The disgruntled employees expressed their discontent in a letter that was initially posted online by veteran technology journalist Kara Swisher. The letter said partly, “We are unable to work for or with people that lack competence, judgment (sic), and care for our mission and employees.”
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The employees also raised the stakes, threatening to abandon OpenAI altogether and join a newly announced Microsoft subsidiary led by Altman and Brockman. Their decision is based on purported assurances from Microsoft that positions are available for all OpenAI employees.
I am on an H-1B, in the process of getting my green card and relocating my family to the US.
Me and many other colleagues in a similar situation have signed this letter.
I do not know what will happen next, but I am confident we will be taken care of.
the board should resign. https://t.co/UOGLqHEWp9
— Reiichiro Nakano (@reiinakano) November 20, 2023
Notable signatories to the document include Mira Murati, OpenAI’s chief technology officer, who briefly served as interim CEO, and Ilya Sutskever, a board member allegedly involved in Altman’s sudden firing on Friday. Sutskever expressed remorse on Monday, stating, “I deeply regret my participation in the board’s actions. I never intended to harm OpenAI. I love everything we’ve built together, and I will do everything I can to reunite the company.”
?????? https://t.co/NL3nqrjKUo
— Sam Altman (@sama) November 20, 2023
Altman’s removal on Friday caught both his colleagues and Microsoft, OpenAI’s largest shareholder and technology partner, by surprise, according to the employees’ letter. The subsequent attempt to reinstate Altman failed, leading to the appointment of Emmett Shear, co-founder and former CEO of Twitch, as interim CEO.
The unexpected departure of Altman, Brockman, and other top researchers raises concerns about OpenAI’s future, given its status as one of the world’s most valuable tech startups.
“If the architects and vision and brains behind these products have now left, the company will be a shell of what it once was,” Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute, commented.
Microsoft’s stock rose over 2% on Monday to a record high of $378.82 as investors celebrated the news of Altman and Brockman’s hiring. Analysts, however, view Shear’s appointment as a “tainted move” that has caused internal and external chaos for OpenAI.
OpenAI’s statement on Friday cited Altman’s lack of consistency in communications with the board as the reason for his dismissal. Shear, in a post on X on Monday, announced plans to hire an independent investigator to probe Altman’s ouster and produce a report within 30 days. He acknowledged the mishandling of the removal process and pledged to drive necessary changes, emphasizing that the decision was not due to a “specific disagreement on safety.
The controversy surrounding OpenAI’s mission to safely develop AI smarter than humans, coupled with Altman’s push for more advanced products, is believed to be at the core of the internal turmoil, per CSBNews. New Street Research analysts suggest that regardless of the outcome, the OpenAI that existed before the crisis is effectively over.
While OpenAI remains tight-lipped about the specifics behind Altman’s removal, sources indicate that both Altman and Brockman are open to returning if their demands, including the resignation of board members involved in their dismissal, are met.
As the drama unfolds, uncertainties loom over OpenAI’s future. Speculations range from potential resignations within the board to a mass exodus of staff, leaving the company’s future hanging in the balance.