A chronology of Sam Altman's dismissal from OpenAI and the subsequent repercussions.
OpenAI's board of directors fired ex-Y Combinator president Sam Altman as CEO of AI startup OpenAI, in a surprising development late Friday. The company is known for its viral AI creations such as ChatGPT, GPT-4, and DALL-E 3.
November 16:
- Ilya Sutskever Schedules Call: Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's chief scientist, contacts Altman to arrange a meeting for the next day.
November 17:
- Brockman Demoted: Greg Brockman receives a message from Sutskever and learns about his demotion from the board but retains his president role. He is informed of Altman's firing.
- Public Announcement of Altman's Firing: OpenAI announces Altman’s departure in a blog post. Altman later reflects on his time at OpenAI in a Twitter post.
- All-Hands Meeting: An internal meeting is held at OpenAI where Sutskever defends the decision to remove Altman, emphasizing the need to preserve OpenAI's mission.
- Microsoft's Response: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella issues a statement reaffirming commitment to OpenAI and the interim leadership of Mira Murati.
- Brockman Resigns: Following the news, Brockman announces his resignation from OpenAI.
- Senior Researchers Resign: Three senior researchers at OpenAI resign in the wake of the leadership changes.
November 18:
- Internal Memo Clarifies Situation: Brad Lightcap, OpenAI's COO, sends out an internal memo clarifying that the board's decision was not due to any malfeasance and admits a breakdown in communication.
- OpenAI's Funding and Valuation in Question: Reports emerge that a planned employee share sale, valuing OpenAI at around $86 billion, might be at risk due to the recent events.
- Altman Plans New Venture: Altman is reported to be discussing a new venture with investors, potentially involving Brockman.
This sequence of events has left many in the tech community seeking answers about the future of OpenAI and the implications of these leadership upheavals. The situation remains fluid, with further developments expected as more information comes to light.