OpenAI will bring back Sam Altman and overhaul its board to bring on new directors including Larry Summers, a stunning reversal in a drama that’s transfixed Silicon Valley and the global AI industry.
Altman is returning as chief executive officer and the initial board will be chaired by Bret Taylor, a former co-CEO of Salesforce.com Inc. and director at Twitter before it was acquired by Elon Musk. Other directors include Summers, the former US Treasury Secretary under President Barack Obama, and existing member Adam D’Angelo, the co-founder and CEO of Quora Inc. OpenAI is now working “to figure out the details,” the company said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
OpenAI decided to reinstate its co-founder after nearly all of its employees threatened to quit over his surprise ouster. The post triggered swift congratulations on X from key players in the saga including former president Greg Brockman — who said he too is returning to the fold — and CTO Mira Murati.
Altman, who was fired by OpenAI’s board on Friday following disagreements over how fast to develop and monetize artificial intelligence, had been in negotiations with the company to return. Those talks reached an impasse on Sunday in part over pressure from Altman and others for existing board members to resign, according to people familiar with the matter.