OpenAI Facing Mass Employee Resignation Threat (Image: Unsplash)
OpenAI is facing a severe crisis due to the board”s removal of co-founder Sam Altman as CEO. Hundreds of OpenAI employees reportedly threatened to resign from the company and join Microsoft. Wired reported that more than 730 employees have signed a letter saying they may quit and join the ousted CEO at Microsoft unless OpenAI”s board resigns and reappoints Sam Altman.
In a letter to OpenAI’s board, accessed by Wired, the employees said that Microsoft has assured them that there are positions for all OpenAI employees at the new subsidiary, headed by Sam Altman. Notably, on November 20, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella made a surprising announcement that Sam Altman and former president Greg Brockman would join Microsoft and lead a new team for advanced research in AI. In the letter, OpenAI employees also clearly stated that the current OpenAI board members should resign. The employees also demanded the board to appoint two new lead independent directors and reinstate Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. The letter is currently circulating on social media.
Disintegration of OpenAI set to have even faster than I speculated in post below
Hundreds of OpenAI employees now calling for resignation of the board.
Either way, surely all the best OpenAI people are now going to leave and join Altman at Microsoft.
Wouldn”t be surprised if… https://t.co/QzbbydpG59 pic.twitter.com/cvJ7mk7h69
— David Mattin (@DMattin) November 20, 2023
In the letter, employees also said that the process through which the company sacked Sam Altman from the board has jeopardized all the work and undermined the employees mission and company. The letter also mentioned that the employees are unable to work for or with people who lack competence, judgement, and care for their mission and employees. The letter was also signed by Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI”s chief scientist. Notably, Ilya Sutskever was also a part of the OpenAI board that fired Sam Altman. Ilya Sutskever, through an X post on November 20, said that he deeply regrets his participation in the board”s actions.
I deeply regret my participation in the board”s actions. I never intended to harm OpenAI. I love everything we”ve built together and I will do everything I can to reunite the company.
— Ilya Sutskever (@ilyasut) November 20, 2023
OpenAI, the high-profile tech firm behind the artificial intelligence (AI)-based ChatGPT, is going through an unexpected shake-up since Sam Altman”s departure on November 17. OpenAI said that Sam Altman was removed from the leadership role as he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board. At the same time, Twitch co-founder Emmett Shear will be OpenAI’s new CEO.
