Visited OpenAI Office 48 Hours After Dismissal
"Call for Changes in Governance Including Dismissal of Existing Board Members"
Sam Altman, who was dismissed from his position as CEO of OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, appeared at the OpenAI office just 48 hours after receiving the termination notice, hinting at the possibility of his return.
Sam Altman, who was removed from his position as CEO of OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, visited the OpenAI office and took a verification photo just 48 hours after his dismissal. [Photo by Sam Altman, captured from X (formerly Twitter) account]
According to major foreign media reports on the 20th (local time), Altman posted a verification photo on his X (formerly Twitter) account wearing a pass that allowed him to enter the OpenAI office as a guest. He wrote, "This is the first and last time I wear this."
He also wrote on X the previous night, "I really love the OpenAI team."
Microsoft (MS), which invested about $13 billion (approximately 17 trillion KRW) in OpenAI, is exploring ways to reinstate Altman. Among early investors including MS and employees, there is a strong sentiment of support for Altman.
Mira Murati, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) who was appointed as interim CEO of OpenAI, informed employees in a memo that "negotiations (regarding Altman’s return) are underway, and he will be coming back to the office." Murati is one of the prominent figures supporting Altman’s return.
Venture capitalists (VCs) such as MS, the largest shareholder of OpenAI, as well as Stryve Capital, Tiger Global, Khosla Ventures, and Sequoia Capital, which hold the second-largest stakes, are actually discussing whether he will return.
Altman Furious Over Board’s Dismissal Decision... Demands Replacement of Board and Management as Condition for Return
Altman is reported to have demanded the replacement of the board and management as a condition for his return. There is also talk of extracting OpenAI employees who sympathize with him to establish a separate company.
Meanwhile, OpenAI was founded in 2015 as a nonprofit organization, but four years after Altman became CEO, a for-profit division was created within the company to raise billions of dollars needed for AI language model development. However, the structure where this for-profit division is controlled by the nonprofit parent company remained unchanged.
The for-profit division, valued at about $30 billion (approximately 38.895 trillion KRW), is 49% owned by MS, with leading venture investors participating and promised a share of the profits, but ultimately no one had control over the company’s operations.
Due to this structure, the OpenAI board was able to easily oust Altman without the consent of major investors, despite Altman bringing significant financial success and rapidly increasing the company’s value.
Altman was furious about the board’s dismissal decision and reportedly confided to close associates, "It makes no sense that major shareholders have no say in the company’s governance."
Earlier, on the 17th, OpenAI announced in a statement that "the board is not confident in Altman’s ability to continue leading the company," and informed that the board had dismissed him from the CEO position.
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