OpenAI's ousted CEO Sam Altman and ex-President Greg Brockman were invited back to the company's headquarters to talk with top executives for possible reinstatement.
Two days after being fired, interim CEO Mira Murati invited the two to negotiate their return amidst talks of Altman planning to start another AI firm, The Information reported.
first and last time i ever wear one of these pic.twitter.com/u3iKwyWj0a
— Sam Altman (@sama) November 19, 2023
The Verge later reported several board members consented to reinstate Altman and "agreed in principle" to resign if so.
The announcement came after multiple OpenAI staff threatened to leave the company if no decision was passed on whether Altman would walk away or not.
Employees set a 5 PM PT deadline for the decision.
Brockman is one of the first to resign from his position in solidarity with Altman's ousting.
The ex-CEO previously discussed with OpenAI's board one day after being fired about improving the company's governance structure.
Future of OpenAI
Microsoft affirmed its support and investment for OpenAI, Altman or not.
The same, however, cannot be said for other investors. Reports said many were not notified of the firing before the company's public announcement.
Experts even speculated that OpenAI's $86 billion investment is in jeopardy following the ousting.
Several online petitions have also started, calling to reinstate Altman. Many have received over 100,000 approvals.
Microsoft and other investors have since then started to do damage control for fear of other OpenAI employees walking out.
Sam Altman Ousted from Position
Altman, in a shocking twist that rocked the AI world, was removed from office last Friday by OpenAI's board members.
The company reasoned that Altman "was not consistently candid in his communications" and "hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities."
Altman was replaced by Murati, the company's chief technology officer.
The former CEO did not confirm the company's reason for his ousting but vowed to release his statement shortly after.
Altman founded the company in 2015 as a non-profit organization by billionaire Elon Musk. The company has since launched flagship projects like ChatGPT and DALL-E.
