After the surprising turn of events in OpenAI for the past few days, Microsoft opened its doors to Sam Altman and Greg Brockman as part of the company's new research lab.
Altman Named as Chief Executive of New Research Lab
Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella announced on X that Altman and Brockman will lead a new advanced AI research team. Notably, the CEO also hinted that there are other colleagues who will join the two.
We remain committed to our partnership with OpenAI and have confidence in our product roadmap, our ability to continue to innovate with everything we announced at Microsoft Ignite, and in continuing to support our customers and partners. We look forward to getting to know Emmett…
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) November 20, 2023
Despite the changes, Microsoft still holds most of OpenAI, and Nadella quickly addressed that they are still committed to the partnership. The new research lab will be "setting a new pace for innovation," which appears to be in contrast with OpenAI's desire to take the cautious road in AI technology.
Meanwhile, Altman only responded to Nadella's post with "the mission continues." Under Altman's leadership, a new independent entity will be coming alive within Microsoft, similar to GitHub, Mojang Studios, and LinkedIn.
OpenAI Employees Threatens to Quit and Follow Altman
After waiting for the final verdict to be out in public, OpenAI named former chief executive of Twitch Emmett Shear as the replacement for Altman. The board attributed the decision based on Shear's "unique mix of skills, expertise, and relationships that will drive OpenAI forward."
With Altman and Brockman finally settling in Microsoft, the remaining employees at OpenAI are not happy with the board's decision. Reports showed that more than 550 of 700 employees had signed a letter threatening to quit and join Altman's project at Microsoft if the board would not resign.
One of the four directors who signed Altman's removal, Ilya Sutskever penned an apology on X stating that he "deeply" regretted his participation in the decision and that it was never his intention to harm OpenAI. Amid all the chaos in the company, he promised to do everything to reunite the company.
