Sam Altman, the co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, was fired yesterday November 17, 2023, after the company’s board of directors said that he was “not consistently candid in his communications with the board.” The board said it no longer had “confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”
Altman’s dismissal came as a surprise to many, as he was a highly respected figure in the tech ecosystem. He was known for his work on artificial intelligence (AI) and had been instrumental in the development of ChatGPT, a groundbreaking chatbot developed by OpenAI.
Hours after Altman was fired, Greg Brockman, president and founder of OpenAI resigned.
While Brockman did not give a specific reason for his resignation, he shared a post saying he was “super proud” of what he had accomplished at OpenAI. He also said that he was “genuinely wishing” the rest of the company “nothing but the best.”
There are suggestions that Brockman’s resignation is in solidarity with Altman’s exit. The two men are said to be close friends and had worked together for many years.
Stepping into Altman’s shoes as interim CEO is 34 year old mechanical engineer, Mira Murati. Murati has been at OpenAI for five years, serving as its chief technology officer (CTO) since 2022.
As interim CEO, Murati will be responsible for leading OpenAI as the company navigates this season of exits and appoitments.