Sam Altman is set to return as chief executive of OpenAI after developer ChatGPT said it had “reached an agreement in principle” to reinstate him.
The San Francisco-based company made the announcement after days of internal turmoil following Altman’s surprise firing on Friday. Almost all of OpenAI’s 750-strong staff threatened to resign unless the board overseeing the business brought him back and quit immediately afterward.
The overnight deal includes the creation of a new board chaired by Bret Taylor, the former co-chief executive of software firm Salesforce. It will include former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and Adam D’Angelo, a tech entrepreneur and current board member who played a role in Altman’s firing.
OpenAI on the X platform, formerly Twitter, wrote: “We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (chairman), Larry Summers and Adam D’Angelo. We are working together to figure out the details. Thank you very much for your patience with this.”
Altman, who did not regain his position on the board, wrote on X shortly after: “I love OpenAI and everything I’ve done in the last few days has served to keep this team and its mission together.” He added: “I look forward to returning to OpenAI .”
The 38-year-old was fired on Friday by the board of the non-profit parent company OpenAI, which oversees the commercial subsidiary it runs. He reportedly made the removal of the board of directors and an overhaul of OpenAI’s management a prerequisite for his return. Under the agreement, D’Angelo remains, but the other three board members will be replaced.
Microsoft, OpenAI’s largest investor, pushed for Altman’s reinstatement. On Monday, it hired Altman and Greg Brockman, who left his role as president of OpenAI on Friday after his colleague was fired, a move analysts interpreted as giving the former CEO a de facto leadership role over his former employer. Brockman also confirmed on X that he was returning to OpenAI, posting “we’re so back” in a selfie with colleagues.
Altman’s return makes him OpenAI’s fourth CEO in five days. He was initially replaced by Mira Murati, the company’s chief technology officer, as interim CEO before the board hired Emmett Shear, co-founder of the video game streaming platform Twitch, as an interim successor. OpenAI will reportedly conduct an independent investigation into Altman’s firing and its aftermath.
The board said last week that it fired Altman for failing to be “candid in his communications,” but declined to provide details on what communications he was referring to. Shear denied that Altman’s ouster was linked to security concerns, amid broader concerns expressed by experts that AI is advancing too quickly.
