Sam Altman, who introduced ChatGPT to the world while serving as CEO of OpenAI and went on to become one of the most powerful figures in technology, left the company after the board lost faith in him.
Company president Greg Brockman stated in a post on X that Ilya Sutskever, a board member of OpenAI and chief scientist, informed Altman he was fired minutes before the board made the announcement public. Altman had been with the company since its founding in 2015.
A review of Altman’s behavior “concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities,” according to the board’s announcement. The board stated that Mira Murati, who was previously OpenAI’s chief technology officer, has been named acting CEO while the company looks for a permanent replacement.
A request for comment on Brockman’s post was not immediately answered by OpenAI, and the company declined to comment on the board’s announcement. A request for comment from Altman was not answered.
According to the announcement, Greg Brockman, who cofounded OpenAI with Altman and notable figures in AI and technology like Elon Musk, would also resign as board chair.
Brockman changed positions without providing a reason, and a few hours after the company released a statement, he announced his resignation. He distributed a staff email from OpenAI on X.
“I’m super proud of what we’ve all built since starting in my apartment 8 years ago,” the email said. “We’ve been through tough and great times together, accomplishing so much despite all the reasons it should have been impossible. But based on today’s news, I quit.”
Brockman and Altman expressed their shock and sadness over what the board did on Friday on X, where they both posted later in the day. According to his post, at noon on that same day, Altman received a call at noon from Ilya Sutskever, a fellow cofounder of OpenAI and the company’s chief scientist.
Soon after, his post stated that Brockman received a separate notification that he was being kicked off the board. We’ll be alright. “Excellent things are on the horizon,” stated Brockman in his post.
