The world of artificial intelligence was shaken after the firing of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. The executive was removed following a board review, which concluded that he “was not consistently candid in his communications with the board.” His temporary replacement will be Mira Murati, who served as the company’s chief technology officer until now.
OpenAI, inventor of the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, was founded in 2015 and initially had Elon Musk and Altman himself as members of the board of directors.
The company said in a statement that it “was deliberately structured to advance our mission: to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all humanity.” Therefore, despite the decision made about the now-former CEO, “the board remains fully committed to serving this mission.”
“We are grateful for Sam’s many contributions to the founding and growth of OpenAI. At the same time, we believe new leadership is necessary as we move forward,” they continued.
Altman will be temporarily replaced by Mira Murati, a young 34-year-old software engineer who held the position of technological director for OpenAI. She is best known as the “woman who created ChatGPT,” as her team was responsible for launching the chatbot.
During her professional career, she led vehicle design, development and product launches at Tesla Motors, including the Model X, as well as innovative programs in the aerospace industry. She has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Dartmouth's Thayer School of Engineering.
Hours after the announcement, OpenAI’s president resigned
After the board fired Altman, Greg Brockman, president and co-founder of OpenAI, announced his resignation on social media.
“i’m super proud of what we’ve all built together since starting in my apartment 8 years ago. we’ve been through tough & great times together, accomplishing so much despite all the reasons it should have been impossible. but based on today’s news, i quit. genuinely wishing you all nothing but the best. i continue to believe in the mission of creating safe AGI that benefits all of humanity,” he wrote.
What did Sam Altman say after the dismissal?
Far from sounding angry, he expressed himself through a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, in which he thanked the company and was excited about the future.
“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. will have more to say about what’s next later,” he wrote.
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.
will have more to say about what’s next later.
🫡
— Sam Altman (@sama) November 17, 2023
