Two days after Sam Altman reached an agreement with OpenAI to return as its chief executive, he spent part of his Thanksgiving with Adam D’Angelo, one of the company’s board members who had fired him the week prior.
Their hours-long meeting, which Altman called “really nice,” highlights D’Angelo’s unique role in a corporate drama that has captivated Silicon Valley — and the importance of their relationship in restoring some stability at the world’s best-known artificial intelligence startup. As part of the deal to bring Altman back, the board is set to be completely overhauled, with one exception: D’Angelo will stay on as a director.
D’Angelo’s staying power at the company may have surprised some given his part in ousting Altman for not being “consistently candid in his communications with the board.” In an interview during the leadership drama, Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures — one of OpenAI’s earliest investors — said he believed D’Angelo remained firm on his decision, despite how much the move riled investors and employees. After nearly all of OpenAI’s staff threatened to quit, however, D’Angelo became a key figure in negotiations with Altman about his return.
