Sam Altman and OpenAI’s embattled board of directors have reportedly opened talks on his potential return to the corporate – just days after he was ousted as CEO in one of the vital shocking coups in Silicon Valley’s history.
Discussions are underway between Altman and one board member, Quora CEO and co-founder Adam D’Angelo, Bloomberg reported, citing individuals with knowledge of the matter.
A few of OpenAI’s major investors are also said to be a part of the negotiations and advocating for Altman’s return.
The board is reportedly exploring potential ways to finish the bizarre saga, including establishing Altman as the top of a transitional board of directors, the report added.
The talks are going down just sooner or later after nearly all the ChatGPT maker’s roughly 770 employees staged a mass revolt – threatening in a letter to quit their jobs unless OpenAI’s entire board resigned.
The staffers also want Altman and fellow co-founder Greg Brockman to be restored to their posts and the appointment of two independent board directors.
OpenAI Vice President of Global Affairs Anna Makanju reportedly told staffers that the corporate was having “intense discussions” to quell the revolt, which could lead to a mass worker exodus.
The memo also indicated that OpenAI leaders were in contact with Altman and the board.
One source told Bloomberg that OpenAI’s leaders are attempting to unravel the crisis before Thanksgiving.
OpenAI and Microsoft didn’t immediately return requests for comment.
OpenAI’s board blindsided Microsoft and key investors reminiscent of Thrive Capital and Khosla Ventures with its announcement of Altman’s firing last Friday.
The announcement prompted frantic negotiations to salvage that once-booming AI firm, with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella brokering the talks.
OpenAI appointed Emmett Shear, the co-founder of video game streaming giant Twitch, to function interim CEO rather than Altman.
Investor Vinod Khosla ripped the move in a column for The Information, accusing OpenAI’s board of a “grave miscalculation” that had “set back the promise of artificial intelligence.”
Because it currently stands, Altman has taken a latest role as head of an AI research unit at Microsoft. Brockman has also joined the tech giant.
Despite the lingering discord, Altman insisted earlier this week that he was prepared to work with OpenAI as “one team” with “one mission” in his latest role at Microsoft.
On Monday, Altman cryptically tweeted that everybody would “work together a way or other” in a possible sign that he was open to a comeback.
OpenAI’s current board includes D’Angelo; Tasha McCauley, a tech entreneur; Helen Toner, director of strategy at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology and Ilya Sutskever, an OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist.
Altman was also a board member prior to his dismissal.
Brockman had served as chairman, but was faraway from the board last Friday and quit entirely later that night.
Sutskever played a key role in supporting the coup against Altman – only to declare earlier this week that he regretted his involvement.
The board still hasn’t provided a transparent explanation as to why Altman was fired. Its initial statement said only that it had lost confidence in Altman after he was not “consistently candid in his communications.”