{"id":55642,"date":"2023-11-21T01:54:46","date_gmt":"2023-11-21T01:54:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/11\/21\/a-timeline-of-sam-altmans-firing-from-openai-and-the-fallout-techcrunch-3\/"},"modified":"2023-11-21T01:54:46","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T01:54:46","slug":"a-timeline-of-sam-altmans-firing-from-openai-and-the-fallout-techcrunch-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/11\/21\/a-timeline-of-sam-altmans-firing-from-openai-and-the-fallout-techcrunch-3\/","title":{"rendered":"A timeline of Sam Altman’s firing from OpenAI — and the fallout | TechCrunch"},"content":{"rendered":"


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In a dramatic turn of events late Friday, ex-Y Combinator president Sam Altman was fired as CEO of AI startup OpenAI, the company behind viral AI hits like ChatGPT<\/a>, GPT-4<\/a> and DALL-E 3<\/a>, by OpenAI\u2019s board of directors. Then, the company\u2019s longtime president and co-founder, Greg Brockman, resigned \u2014 as did three senior OpenAI researchers. And the fallout continues.<\/p>\n

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Tip TechCrunch<\/h4>\n

\nDo you work at OpenAI and know more about Sam Altman\u2019s departure? Get in touch with TechCrunch<\/a>.\n\t<\/div>\n

It\u2019s a fast-moving situation that we\u2019re still trying to get to the bottom of. No doubt more will become clear as time goes on. To make it easier to follow all that\u2019s happened in the meantime, though, we\u2019ve put together a timeline; we\u2019ll do our best to keep it current.<\/p>\n

Timeline of Sam Altman\u2019s firing from OpenAI<\/h2>\n

November 16<\/h3>\n

Ilya Sutskever schedules call with Altman<\/h3>\n

According to a post on X (formerly Twitter) from Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, the chief scientist at OpenAI and a co-founder, texted Altman on Thursday evening about scheduling a Friday noon call.<\/p>\n

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Sam and I are shocked and saddened by what the board did today.<\/p>\n

Let us first say thank you to all the incredible people who we have worked with at OpenAI, our customers, our investors, and all of those who have been reaching out.<\/p>\n

We too are still trying to figure out exactly\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Greg Brockman (@gdb) November 18, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Murati told of Altman\u2019s firing<\/h3>\n

Brockman alleges that Mira Murati<\/a>, OpenAI\u2019s CTO and now interim CEO, was informed on Thursday night that Altman would be fired.<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/p>\n

November 17<\/h3>\n

Brockman demoted<\/h3>\n

Brockman says he got a text from Sutskever shortly after noon on Friday asking for a quick call. After sending a Google Meet link, Brockman was told that he was being removed from the board as chairman \u201cbut was vital to the company and would retain his role\u201d as president, and that Altman had been fired.<\/p>\n

Altman\u2019s firing publicly announced<\/h3>\n

OpenAI published<\/a> a post on its blog announcing<\/a> the executive shake-up. The company\u2019s management team was aware shortly after.<\/p>\n

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i loved my time at openai. it was transformative for me personally, and hopefully the world a little bit. most of all i loved working with such talented people.<\/p>\n

will have more to say about what\u2019s next later. <\/p>\n

\ud83e\udee1<\/p>\n

\u2014 Sam Altman (@sama) November 17, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

All-hands meeting<\/h3>\n

OpenAI held an all-hands meeting Friday afternoon during which Sutskever defended Altman\u2019s ouster. He dismissed suggestions that pushing Altman out amounted to a \u201chostile takeover,\u201d and claimed<\/a> that it was necessary to protect OpenAI\u2019s mission of \u201cmaking AI beneficial to humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Microsoft releases a statement<\/h3>\n

Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, a major investor<\/a> in \u2014 and partner<\/a> with \u2014 OpenAI, published a statement<\/a> about Altman\u2019s firing:<\/p>\n

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\u201cAs you saw at Microsoft Ignite this week<\/a>, we\u2019re continuing to rapidly innovate for this era of AI, with over 100 announcements across the full tech stack from AI systems, models and tools in Azure, to Copilot. Most importantly, we\u2019re committed to delivering all of this to our customers while building for the future. We have a long-term agreement with OpenAI with full access to everything we need to deliver on our innovation agenda and an exciting product roadmap; and remain committed to our partnership, and to Mira and the team. Together, we will continue to deliver the meaningful benefits of this technology to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Brockman quits<\/h3>\n

Brockman announced his resignation from OpenAI, citing \u201ctoday\u2019s news.\u201d After sending a memo internally, he published the text on X.<\/p>\n

Senior OpenAI researchers resign<\/h3>\n

Three senior OpenAI researchers resign after Brockman, including the director of research Jakub Pachocki and head of preparedness Aleksander Madry.<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/p>\n

November 18<\/h3>\n

\u201cNot \u2026 in response to malfeasance\u201d<\/h3>\n

In an internal memo obtained<\/a> by Axios sent Saturday morning, OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap said yesterday\u2019s announcement \u201ctook [the management team] by surprise\u201d and that management had had \u201cmultiple conversations with the board to try to better understand the reasons and process behind their decision.\u201d Discussions were ongoing as of Saturday morning, per the memo.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can say definitively that the board\u2019s decision was not made in response to malfeasance or anything related to our financial, business, safety, or security\/privacy practices,\u201d Lightcap added. \u201cThis was a breakdown in communication between Sam and the board \u2026 We still share your concerns about how the process has been handled, are working to resolve the situation, and will provide updates as we\u2019re able.\u201d<\/p>\n

OpenAI\u2019s funding in jeopardy<\/h3>\n

The planned sale<\/a> of OpenAI employee shares that would value the startup at about $86 billion could be in jeopardy. The Information, speaking to three sources formerly with the company, reports<\/a> that they no longer expect the sale \u2014 led by Thrive Capital \u2014 to happen, or, if it does, to come with a lesser valuation because of the recent turn of events.<\/p>\n

Altman planning new venture<\/h3>\n

Altman has been telling investors that he\u2019s planning to launch a new venture, according<\/a> to The Information. Brockman is expected to join the effort \u2014 whatever form it takes. (Possibly<\/a> an AI chip startup.)<\/p>\n

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i love you all. <\/p>\n

today was a weird experience in many ways. but one unexpected one is that it has been sorta like reading your own eulogy while you\u2019re still alive. the outpouring of love is awesome.<\/p>\n

one takeaway: go tell your friends how great you think they are.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Sam Altman (@sama) November 18, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Investors pushing for Altman\u2019s return<\/h3>\n

Investors \u2014 furious at the turn of events \u2014 are reportedly exerting pressure<\/a> on OpenAI\u2019s board to reinstate Altman, going so far as to recruit Microsoft. Nadella is said to be sympathetic.<\/p>\n

Board agrees to reverse course \u2014 in principle<\/h3>\n

The Verge\u00a0reports<\/a> that the board agreed in principle to resign and to allow Altman and Brockman to return. It waffled, however, missing a deadline yesterday by which many OpenAI staffers were set to leave the company. Altman is said to be ambivalent about coming back and asking for \u201csignificant\u201d governance changes.<\/p>\n

November 19<\/h3>\n

Altman to meet at OpenAI HQ<\/h3>\n

According to The Information, Altman is expected to meet at OpenAI\u2019s San Francisco headquarters as executives at OpenAI push to have him reinstated as CEO. Brockman was invited to join \u2014 but it\u2019s unclear whether he\u2019ll take execs up on that invitation.<\/p>\n

Board negotiations hit a snag<\/h3>\n

Bloomberg reports<\/a> that Lightcap and Murati, among others, are pushing the board to reinstate Altman. But unsurprisingly, the directors are resisting. As of midday Sunday, the board hadn\u2019t resigned out of concern over who could replace them, and were vetting candidates. One possible new addition could be Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor.<\/p>\n

Altman out, Shear in<\/h3>\n

Altman won\u2019t be returning as CEO, according to a report<\/a> in The Information citing an internal memo sent by Sutskever. As the search for a new permanent CEO continues, OpenAI has appointed<\/a> Emmett Shear, the co-founder of video streaming site Twitch, as interim CEO \u2014 replacing Murati.<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b><\/p>\n

November 20<\/h3>\n

Altman joins Microsoft<\/h3>\n

Sam Altman, Greg Brockman and colleagues announce<\/a> that they\u2019ll join Microsoft to lead a new AI research team. Nadella leaves the door open to other OpenAI staffers, saying that they\u2019ll be given the resources they need should they choose to join.<\/p>\n

Sutskever\u2019s mea culpa<\/h3>\n

Sutskever publishes a post on X suggesting that he regrets his decision to remove Altman and that he\u2019ll do everything in his power to reinstate Altman as CEO.<\/p>\n

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I deeply regret my participation in the board’s actions. I never intended to harm OpenAI. I love everything we’ve built together and I will do everything I can to reunite the company.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Ilya Sutskever (@ilyasut) November 20, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Employees threaten to resign<\/h3>\n

Nearly 500 of OpenAI\u2019s roughly 770 employees \u2014 including, remarkably, Sutskever \u2014 publish<\/a> a letter saying that they might quit unless the startup\u2019s board resigns and reappoints the ousted Altman. Later Monday, that number climbed to over 650.<\/p>\n

Altman and Brockman considering return<\/h3>\n

As reported<\/a> by The Verge, Altman\u2019s move to Microsoft isn\u2019t a done deal \u2014 and both Altman and Brockman are still open to returning to OpenaI. That is, if the remaining board members who initially fired him step aside.<\/p>\n

OpenAI board considers merger<\/h3>\n

OpenAI\u2019s board of directors approached Dario Amodei, the co-founder and CEO of rival large-language model developer Anthropic, about a potential merger of the two companies, The Information reports<\/a>. The approach was part of an effort by OpenAI to persuade Amodei to replace Altman as CEO \u2014 but Amodei quickly turned down the CEO offer.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n