Sam Altman Could Return As OpenAI CEO, But Is Also Exploring A New Venture: Report

Sam Altman, the former CEO of ChatGPT creator OpenAI, could return to the company as CEO, The Verge reports. However, the top executive is “ambivalent” about the same and wants changes in the leadership of OpenAI.

Further, the report states that a source has confirmed that OpenAI’s board has decided to meet the conditions and resign for Altman and Brockman to return to the company, but this may not work out as the board missed a deadline that should have been met by 5 pm PT. This deadline was in place for many OpenAI employees to resign, and now that it has been missed, it remains to be seen what Sam Altman’s decision is and if these employees leave with Altman to start a new venture altogether.

On that note, other top industry officials–including Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, have come in support of Altman and stated that he would support him for his future endeavors, and reportedly, Nadella was surprised by the decision of OpenAI’s board.

Notably, Microsoft has a substantial investment in OpenAI, and the partnership is quite strong with many OpenAI products like GPT-4 being an integral part of its suite of AI-driven products like Copilot (formerly called Bing Chat). And, if something were to happen to OpenAI, Microsoft stands to lose on resources as well.

The reasons for Altman’s dismissal are not entirely clear, but it could have been due to a “breakdown in communications,” not “malfeasance,” as stated by Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap in an internal company memo obtained by Reuters. Reuters also reports that Sam Altman and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, who quit after Altman was fired, are in talks to launch something of their own. And, earlier this year, it was also revealed that OpenAI and former Apple design chief Jony Ive, too, were in talks to create the “iPhone of AI,” with Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son also being a part of the narrative.

It remains to be seen if Sam Altman and others, including Greg Brockman, return to what is arguably the most talked-about startup in recent history thanks to the rising popularity of ChatGPT and generative AI, in general.