OpenAI’s board of directors ousted CEO Sam Altman for not being honest in his discussions with them, the company announced in a blog post on Friday.
The company behind the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT is replacing him with Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati, who will immediately serve as interim CEO, according to the blog post. The company asserted it lacks faith in his leadership and it is seeking a permanent CEO.
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
“Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities,” the post states. “The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”
Altman has been a major proponent for AI regulation, including in testimony to Congress. He has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars almost exclusively to Democrats since 2013, including to President Joe Biden.
“OpenAI was deliberately structured to advance our mission: to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all humanity,” the board stated in the blog post. “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.”
Altman has a cryptocurrency initiative featuring a global ID called Worldcoin, which uses “orbs” that scan individuals’ irises to discern whether they are a human, and issues them a “World ID,” which is a “global digital passport,” accordingto its website.
OpenAI pointed the Daily Caller News Foundation to its blog post.
Jason Cohen on November 17, 2023