Sam Altman, the public face of OpenAI, who launched the generative artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT, became a Silicon Valley superstar in one year, before being abruptly dismissed by his board of directors (CA) and immediately hired by the computer giant Microsoft.
From the sidelining of Sam Altman to his spectacular arrival at Microsoft, L’Express returns in five acts to this strange sequence which shook the Tech planet.
Act 1: the surprise dismissal of the superstar
Friday, November 17, the announcement of OpenAI’s turnover caused an earthquake in Silicon Valley. Sam Altman is dismissed, with immediate effect, from his position as boss of the star Silicon Valley company. The dismissal, for obscure reasons, of the 38-year-old entrepreneur, considered a pioneer in the artificial intelligence sector, does not fail to surprise.
“Sam Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he had not always been candid in his communications with the board, hindering his ability to fulfill his responsibilities,” explains in a press release OpenAI, which emphasizes that it no longer has “confidence in its ability to [la] “We are grateful for Sam’s many contributions to the creation and growth of OpenAI. At the same time, we believe that new governance is necessary to move forward,” continues the text, which does not explain the precise reasons for this dismissal.
Sam Altman only made a brief comment on the X network (formerly Twitter): “I loved my time at OpenAI. It was transformative for me on a personal level but also, hopefully, for the world. “
Close to Sam Altman, the chairman of the board of directors, Greg Brockman, co-founder of the company, immediately announced his resignation from X. The crisis brewing at OpenAI has erupted.
Act 2: the intense lobbying of OpenAI investors to bring Altman back
The day after the announcement of this surprise dismissal, several investors in the OpenAI start-up have been working behind the scenes to try to bring the artificial intelligence prodigy back into the fold. Several American media, including the Wall Street Journal And THE New York Times, reported on Sunday, November 19, that major financiers of the company, first and foremost Microsoft and the venture capital firm Thrive Capital, “[faisaient] efforts to bring back Sam Altman.” Microsoft and Thrive are OpenAi’s two biggest backers, but “other investors in the company are supporting their efforts.”
The investment company Sequoia Capital “supports [Sam Altman et Greg Brockman] in whatever they decide to do next, whether it’s returning to OpenAi or creating a new start-up,” specifies the CNBC channel, after speaking to someone close to the matter.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Sam Altman “is considering returning, but he has told investors that if he does return, he wants a new board and governance structure.” The business daily adds that he is also discussing the creation of a new company in which he would bring in former OpenAI employees, including several of those who resigned after his dismissal. Altman “should make his choice between the two options as early as this weekend,” notes the newspaper.
Act 3: confirmation of OpenAI
But Sam Altman will not return. The OpenAI board of directors confirms its decision on Sunday. “[Ce départ est] the only way to advance and defend OpenAI’s mission,” he wrote in a memo sent to employees in the evening, according to an article from New York Times broadcast during the night from Sunday to Monday. “Sam’s behavior and his lack of transparency in his interactions with the board of directors undermined his ability to effectively lead the company in the manner in which he was mandated to do,” repeats the CA in the note cited by the newspaper .
Act 4: Microsoft’s nice move
New twist, Monday morning: the giant Microsoft announces that it is hiring Sam Altman. Accompanied by Greg Brockman, the AI superstar “will join, with other colleagues, Microsoft to lead a new AI research team,” writes her boss, Satya Nadella, on X. “The mission continues” , reacts, on the same social network, Sam Altman.
“We are going to build something new, and it will be incredible,” adds Greg Brockman on X, announcing the recruitment for this new project within Microsoft of several other important OpenAI collaborators, whose names he cites. “We remain committed to our partnership with OpenAI and we are confident in the roadmap planned for our product”, specifies however Satya Nadella, whose company has invested several billion dollars in the calculation programs necessary for OpenAI and integrated this technology in its own products, such as the Bing search engine.
The game of musical chairs in the American tech sector continues, since shortly after, former Twitch boss Emmett Shear announced that he had accepted the position of interim No. 1 at OpenAI. The co-founder of the streaming platform specifies on X that his decision was made “in a few hours”, referring to “the opportunity of a lifetime”. He plans to launch an independent investigation within thirty days to shed light on the dismissal of Sam Altman and the upheavals within the start-up.
Act 5: several senior OpenAI executives threaten to resign
At OpenAI, the crisis does not end there. Most of the start-up’s senior executives, still in office since the boss’s surprise dismissal, are demanding the resignation of the entire board of directors, failing which, they say they are ready to jump ship, according to a letter published Monday, November 20 by several American media, including THE Wall Street Journal.
For these managers, the landing of Sam Altman “jeopardizes” the work carried out by the OpenAI teams. “Your conduct provided proof that you did not have the skills to supervise OpenAI,” write the twelve directors of the company, including number two Brad Lightcap and technical manager Mira Murati.