In an unexpected move, OpenAI announced today that it has fired Sam Altman as its CEO.
In a blog post, the company revealed that Altman was leaving the company after a “deliberative review process” by the company’s board of directors. OpenAI’s Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati has been named interim CEO while a search for Altman’s “permanent successor” is underway.
“Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities,” the company wrote. “The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”
A Microsoft spokesperson told IGN that the company will continue to work with OpenAI, despite Altman’s termination. The tech giant announced earlier this year that it was making a multi-million dollar investment into OpenAI.
“We have a long-term partnership with OpenAI and Microsoft remains committed to Mira and their team as we bring this next era of AI to our customers,” a Microsoft spokesperson wrote in a statement to IGN.
Altman, who, along with other individuals, including tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, founded OpenAI in 2015. Altman and Musk served as co-chairs of the company before the latter departed in 2018. Other positions Atlman has held include a stint as the CEO of Reddit.
The announcement is a surprise, as Atlman was not only the CEO but also the most recognizable face of the tech company behind the widely popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, where the company was one of the primary reasons that caused an AI boom in the tech industry over the last year.
Last week, OpenAI held its inaugural Dev Day conference, where Atlman delivered the keynote. Throughout the event, a ton of news and announcements were made, including a new digital storefront that will sell custom GPT bots.
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Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
