Extremely concerning! – Elon Musk
“Ahead of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s four days in exile, several staff researchers sent the board of directors a letter warning of a powerful artificial intelligence discovery that they said could threaten humanity, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
According to one… pic.twitter.com/SNTZSiudjn
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) November 23, 2023
The tumultuous saga at the world’s most valuable startup, OpenAI, appears to have come to a close after five days of chaos. In a recent announcement on the social media platform X, OpenAI revealed that Sam Altman would be making a comeback as the CEO, accompanied by a significant overhaul of the company’s board.
The official statement on X, posted around 0100 ET, conveyed, “We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO.” Simultaneously, a restructuring of the board was disclosed, introducing a new initial board comprising Bret Taylor as Chair, Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo.
Silicon Valley is in turmoil after ChatGPT creator OpenAI suddenly fired (then rehired) CEO Sam Altman without explaining why. The firing has created a whirlwind of rumors: Is AI advancing too quickly to be controlled? Are we on the brink of so-called “Artificial General Intelligence?” – Charlie Kirk
Adding to the unfolding developments, Greg Brockman, the former president of OpenAI, has also made a return to the company. Altman, in a post on X, expressed his dedication to OpenAI, stating, “I love OpenAI, and everything I’ve done over the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together.” Altman had initially decided to join Microsoft, but with the support of the new board and Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, he looks forward to resuming his role at OpenAI.
The decision to reinstate Altman and reconfigure the board is expected to pacify the concerns of over 700 employees who had signed a letter threatening to resign and join Microsoft, OpenAI’s largest shareholder. Their ultimatum demanded the resignation of all directors and the reinstatement of Altman.
We’ve said from the get-go there is something very dark, very suspect about this power grab by Sam Altman and Bill Gate’s Microsoft
…’powerful AI discovery that they say COULD THREATEN HUMANITY’ pic.twitter.com/aovof0zYrY— Grace Chong 🇺🇸 (@gc22gc) November 23, 2023
Satya Nadella expressed support for the changes, stating, “We are encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board. We believe this is a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance.” Nadella emphasized the crucial roles of Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and himself, along with the OpenAI leadership team, in ensuring the continued success of OpenAI and its mission.
However, the fate of Emmett Shear, the former Twitch executive appointed as OpenAI’s CEO last weekend, remains uncertain amid these developments.
🚩 Joe Rogan & David Grusch on the Mystery Surrounding Sam Altman’s Departure from OpenAI
“There’s a rumor that they might have cracked artificial general intelligence (AGI). That’s frightening.”@joerogan @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/5NwNEp6OID
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) November 22, 2023
Sam Altman, in a call with a New York Times reporter, shared that employees were celebrating his return. The sudden removal of Altman from the board had blindsided investors the previous Friday. Responding to a user on X, Elon Musk voiced his opinion on the situation, stating, “OpenAI being (semi) independent is probably better for the world than merging with Microsoft. Less concentration of power.”
As the dust settles, there is hope that the recent changes will bring stability to OpenAI. The rollercoaster of events has captivated the attention of industry insiders and the public alike, raising questions about the governance and direction of one of the most influential players in the AI landscape. Only time will tell how these recent shifts will impact OpenAI’s future and its ongoing collaboration with Microsoft.
Major Points Discussed:
- Sam Altman is set to return as CEO of OpenAI, following a period of chaos and a board reshuffle announced on social media platform X.
- The revamped board will include Bret Taylor as Chair, Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo. Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s former president, is also making a return.
- Altman, expressing his commitment to OpenAI on X, cited the new board’s support and Microsoft’s backing, signaling his anticipation of rejoining and building on the partnership with Microsoft.
- Over 700 employees, previously threatening to resign and join Microsoft, are likely to be appeased by Altman’s reinstatement and the board restructuring.
- Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella supports the changes, emphasizing a crucial role for Altman, Brockman, and himself in ensuring stable governance and the continued success of OpenAI’s mission.
Elon Musk and Sam Altman discussing AI in 2016
Elon talks about democratisation of AI. He was concerned it could be used in a bad way or taken from someone and used in a bad way.
His intention of creating OpenAI was that it would not be concentrated in the hands of a few. pic.twitter.com/U0dnBFY8lX— Kris Kashtanova (@icreatelife) November 22, 2023
Comments – Threads – Links
- A letter reportedly written by former OpenAI employees is going around that makes a lot of concerning allegations about Sam Altman, including: “Throughout our time at OpenAl, we witnessed a disturbing pattern of deceit and manipulation by Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, driven by their insatiable pursuit of achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI). Their methods, however, have raised serious doubts about their true intentions and the extent to which they genuinely prioritize the benefit of all humanity.” – Robby Starbuck
- BREAKING: Ahead of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s four days in exile, several staff researchers sent the board of directors a letter warning of a powerful artificial intelligence discovery that they said could threaten humanity – Reuters – Insider Paper
- One day before he was fired by OpenAI’s board last week, Sam Altman alluded to a recent technical advance the company had made that allowed it to “push the veil of ignorance back and the frontier of discovery forward.” The cryptic remarks at the APEC CEO Summit went largely unnoticed as the company descended into turmoil. But some OpenAI employees believe Altman’s comments referred to an innovation by the company’s researchers earlier this year that would allow them to develop far more powerful artificial intelligence models, a person familiar with the matter said. The technical breakthrough, spearheaded by OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, raised concerns among some staff that the company didn’t have proper safeguards in place to commercialize such advanced AI models, this person said. – AK
- So, they fired Altman to save humanity? —- Ahead of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s four days in exile, several staff researchers sent the board of directors a letter warning of a powerful artificial intelligence discovery that they said could threaten humanity, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. – Jim Bianco
- Feverish negotiations, the threat of an employee exodus and concessions on both sides paved the way for Sam Altman’s stunning return to OpenAI. Here’s a full timeline of what happened—and how he came back – Bloomberg