Altman returns as OpenAI CEO after days of turmoil

Bret Taylor, left, and Larry Summers

Sam Altman is returning as the chief executive officer of OpenAI just days after he was ousted, the artificial intelligence (AI) company said on Thursday.

In the recent announcement on X, OpenAI said that “We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angel.”

The board’s new chairman will be Taylor, formerly the co-CEO of Salesforce Inc., the U.S. cloud-based software company, while Summers, the former U.S. Treasury Secretary, will join as a new board member. D’Angelo, who was behind Altman’s ouster, will retain his position, along with Ilya Sutskever, who reportedly led the ouster. Greg Brockman, the co-founder of OpenAI and the former board chairman who resigned after Altman’s sacking, also announced his return.

This development came after several days of turmoil surrounding Altman, a prominent figure in the AI development field. However, the disagreements over approaches to AI development that led to Altman’s ouster still remain.

Sutskever is known to have advocated for gradual AI development, considering potential societal threats, while Altman is known for his radical approach pushing for accelerated commercialization, as seen in the recent OpenAI developer competition.

The industry suggested a potential shift from OpenAI’s non-profit status to becoming a for-profit company. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, as the largest shareholder with a 49 percent stake in the AI startup, is expected to wield influence over OpenAI’s board. Nadella played a crucial role in resolving the situation, stating that replacement in the OpenAI board leadership was the initial step in establishing stable and effective governance.

On the day of Altman’s return, Nadella said on X: “Sam, Greg, and I have talked and agreed they have a key role to play along with the Open AI leadership team in ensuring OAI continues to thrive and build on its mission. We look forward to building on our strong partnership and delivering the value of this next generation of AI to our customers and partners.”