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OpenAI's Co-founder Sam Altman Returns as CEO

OpenAI's Co-founder Sam Altman Returns as CEO
Wednesday 22 November 2023 - 11:00
Zoom

In a surprising turn of events, OpenAI announced late Tuesday night the reinstatement of its co-founder, Sam Altman, as the Chief Executive Officer, just days after his dismissal from the startup responsible for creating ChatGPT.

"We have reached a preliminary agreement for Sam to return to OpenAI as CEO," the company explained in a message posted just after 10:00 PM on Tuesday night in California, or 7:00 AM on Wednesday in Paris (06:00 GMT). "There will be changes to the board, with Bret Taylor at the helm and the addition of Larry Summers and Adam D'Angelo. We are working on the details. Thank you for your patience during this time," added the startup in the message.

Sam Altman, who Microsoft announced hiring on Monday, three days after his departure from OpenAI, stated shortly afterward that he has the support of Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, to return to lead OpenAI. "With the new board and Satya's support, I look forward to returning to OpenAI and building a strong partnership with Microsoft," wrote the Silicon Valley figure on X (formerly Twitter).

On Monday, former Twitch CEO Emmett Shear even announced that he had accepted the position of interim CEO at OpenAI. According to a letter published by several American media outlets, nearly 700 out of 770 OpenAI employees had threatened to resign if 38-year-old Sam Altman did not return.

The launch of the first version of ChatGPT on November 30, 2022, marked the beginning of a race in the field of generative artificial intelligence, capable of creating content (text, images, sounds) on demand in everyday language.

Generative AI is seen as having the potential to transform entire sectors of the economy. While it sparks enthusiasm, there are also significant concerns about its potential dangers to democracy (massive misinformation) or employment (replacement of professions), among other issues.


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