- OpenAI has had several shake-ups this past weekend, with co-founder Sam Altman ousted as CEO, then in talks to return, and finally announcing plans for his own venture.
- Mira Murati was confirmed as new CEO at the weekend, but his alignment with Altman has pushed him out of the position too.
- Now Twitch CEO Emmett Shear has been appointed as the company’s interim leader… for now.
In what would be a scene out of place in HBO’s Silicon Valley, OpenAI has had what is best described as a destabilising weekend.
This as co-founder Sam Altman was ousted from the company by its board of directors, only for Altman to be brought back to the negotiating table to lead OpenAI once again. On 17th November, the company shared a press statement regarding its change of leadership, with Mira Murati appointed as interim CEO.
“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 board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI,” the statement read.
“As the leader of the company’s research, product, and safety functions, Mira is exceptionally qualified to step into the role of interim CEO. We have the utmost confidence in her ability to lead OpenAI during this transition period,” the board of directors added.
The latest news, however, sees Twitch CEO Emmett Shear accept the role as interim CEO from Murati, per The Information (paywall). This as Murati’s alignment was ultimately deemed to be too close to that of Altman.
The publication has also detailed that Altman plans to break out and pursue his own AI venture, although the precise nature of it at this stage is yet to be determined.
By our count that’s three CEOs over the course of three days, which does not bode well for a company aiming to outwardly display stability as it looks to grow.
It is also unclear what the CEO musical chairs will mean for OpenAI’s ability to develop and roll out new features, as The Verge reported that many employees at the company have shared their support of Altman as the company’s best choice for leadership.
As this story is seemingly changing with each passing hour and day, we’ll be sharing any key updates as they happen.
[Image – Photo by Mariia Shalabaieva on Unsplash]
