Tech Industry Buzz: OpenAI Rocked by Co-founder’s Move to Microsoft
After a surprising removal, OpenAI co-founder and former CEO Sam Altman is set to lead Microsoft’s (MSFT) artificial intelligence research division.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced in a Monday post on social media platform X that Altman, along with former president Greg Brockman and other colleagues, will be joining the Microsoft team.
“We look forward to moving quickly to provide them with the resources needed for their success,” he wrote.
This development follows OpenAI’s initiation of the generative AI trend less than a year ago with the launch of the widely acclaimed chatbot ChatGPT and the acquisition of investments from major players, including Microsoft.
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The ousting of co-founder Altman as CEO by the OpenAI board last Friday prompted efforts to reinstate him amid concerns about a potential mass departure of talent that could impact an upcoming $86 billion share sale.
“We remain committed to our partnership with OpenAI and have confidence in our product roadmap, our ability to continue to innovate with everything we announced at Microsoft Ignite, and in continuing to support our customers and partners,” Nadella stated.
He also seemed to confirm Emmett Shear’s reported appointment as the new OpenAI CEO, expressing eagerness to get to know Shear and OpenAI’s new leadership team and work with them.
This shakeup is not the first at OpenAI since its launch in 2015. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, another co-founder of the non-profit, was once its co-chair. In 2020, other executives departed, founding competitor Anthropic, which emphasizes a greater focus on AI safety.
