In a surprising turn of events, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has been fired from the company.
The board of directors cited a lack of candor in Altman’s communications as the reason for his dismissal.
The board of directors of OpenAI, Inc., the 501(c)(3) that acts as the overall governing body for all OpenAI activities, today announced that Sam Altman will depart as CEO and leave the board of directors. Mira Murati, the company’s chief technology officer, will serve as interim CEO, effective immediately.
OpenAI blog reads.
Altman, a prominent figure in the AI industry, has been at the helm of OpenAI since its inception in 2015. Under his leadership, the company developed some of the most cutting-edge AI technology in the world, including the viral chatbot ChatGPT and the image generator DALL-E.
However, Altman’s tenure at OpenAI was not without controversy. He was criticized for his handling of the company’s relationship with Microsoft and for his perceived lack of transparency.
In a statement announcing Altman’s ouster, OpenAI said that “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 board also said that it “no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”
The board has appointed OpenAI’s chief technology officer, Mira Murati, as interim CEO. Murati is a well-respected figure in the AI community, and she is expected to focus on stabilizing the company and restoring confidence among its investors and employees.
