Sam Altman, the father of ChatGPT, made a surprise comeback as OpenAI CEO on the 21st (local time), five days after he was ousted by the OpenAI board. Altman, who weighed in on the development and commercialization of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, seemed to be pushed out by board members seeking “safe AI.” However, the coup ended in the ‘5th world’ amid strong opposition from investors and executives and employees, and Altman and Microsoft (MS), a major shareholder who made a quick move to recruit him, won a complete victory. Three of the four board members who led the coup, including co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, have resigned from the board. With new board members centered on Altman CEO, it is expected that the cooperative relationship between Microsoft and OpenAI, which led Altman’s return, will become closer. The Wall Street Journal (WS) said, “The question of who will lead open AI, which has become the mainstream in the AI industry, has been decided between the board of directors of a non-profit corporation that advocates the mission of developing AI safely and the person (Altman) who is recognized as the “face of the technological revolution.”OpenAI reported on social media X (formerly Twitter) that “Altman has agreed to return as OpenAI CEO.” Co-founder Greg Brokman, who left the company with him in protest of Altman’s dismissal, also plans to return.
After his reinstatement was decided, Altman told X, “I love OpenAI, and everything I’ve done in recent days has been to maintain the mission we’re pursuing as well as the company,” adding, “I look forward to returning to OpenAI and building a strong partnership with Microsoft with the support of the new board and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.” Of the four existing OpenAI board members who were trying to oust Altman, three resigned, including chief scientist Sutschiver, except for one CEO, Adam D & Zalo Quora. CEO D&Zero led Altman’s return negotiations on behalf of the board. Altman’s return was set by strong pressure from investors and more than 90% of executives and employees, but the announcement of his return was reportedly delayed due to the composition of new board members. The new board will be chaired by former Salesforce Co-CEO Brett Taylor. Larry Summers, a Harvard University professor who served as the Treasury Secretary during the Bill Clinton administration, also joined the group. The three board members, including CEO D&Zero, plan to form a board of directors with up to six additional people. According to the WSJ, the new board of directors and Altman have agreed to investigate the board’s decision to dismiss Altman. The governance structure, which the board of directors of a non-profit corporation has made decisions while blocking investors’ access, is also expected to be completely reorganized.Analysts say that this incident, which ended with Altman’s return, is a victory for a “developmentist” who speeds up commercialization despite the potential threat of AI. Asked if he is a developmentist, Altman said in an interview with the New York Times last week, “AI is a tremendously beneficial technology, and I believe we need to find a way to deliver it safely and responsibly to people so that they can enjoy great rewards.” He expressed his belief in technology development and commercialization progress. According to the New York Times, the conflict between Altman and the existing board members has been ongoing for nearly a year. In particular, Altman rebuked a few weeks before his dismissal, saying that a paper by Helen Toner, strategy director of the Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University, a board member who is an “AI cautiousist,” criticized the “open AI approach.” Toner and others then filed a motion to dismiss Altman. However, the interests of investors and executives and employees were close to Altman. Altman is also expected to speed up the development of ‘AI iPhone’ after his return and the launch of ‘GPT Store’ similar to Apple’s App Store. CNN evaluated, “Altman’s vision to speed up the spread of AI and commercialize it has won.” Microsoft will also have an advantage over competitors such as Google in the future AI game. Microsoft, which owned 49% of OpenAI and did not have a seat on the board, strongly supported Altman. Microsoft is likely to take a place on the new board. Microsoft CEO Nadella stressed to X, “We hope that OpenAI and Microsoft will be able to establish strong partnerships to provide the value of next-generation AI.”
SOPHIA KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
