Reports that the reason behind the ouster of Sam Altman from OpenAI was a complaint from executives to the board of directors about ``psychological abuse of employees''

On November 17, 2023 local time, it was reported that Sam Altman , CEO of OpenAI, a global AI company, would be retiring, shocking the entire world. After that, there was a lot of uproar, including negotiations with the board of directors that decided to expel Mr. Altman, and more than 90% of employees signing a letter requesting Mr. Altman's reinstatement, which ultimately led to the decision to return Mr. Altman as CEO. . Behind the series of turmoil that shook OpenAI were concerns raised by OpenAI executives to the board of directors about ``psychological abuse of employees'' and pressure over papers critical of OpenAI published by board members. It is reported that there was.

Warning from OpenAI leaders helped trigger Sam Altman's ouster - The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/12/08/open-ai-sam-altman-complaints/

The OpenAI Board Member Who Clashed With Sam Altman Shares Her Side - WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/helen-toner-openai-board-2e4031ef

Inside OpenAI's Crisis Over the Future of Artificial Intelligence - The New York Times
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/09/technology/openai-altman-inside-crisis.html

On November 17, 2023, OpenAI, known for developing the chat AI ``ChatGPT'', suddenly announced the retirement of CEO Altman. Mr. Altman's resignation was based on deliberations by the board of directors, and although it was easy to imagine that he was effectively expelled, it was initially stated that Mr. 'We have come to the conclusion that his ability to fulfill his responsibilities is impaired,' the statement said, without providing further details.

Sam Altman, CEO of AI development company OpenAI, steps down; CTO Mira Murati becomes interim CEO - GIGAZINE

Mr. Altman then decided to stand up to the board and began negotiating with the board, bringing in investors and internal supporters. Microsoft, which has a large stake in OpenAI, will inevitably be involved in this turmoil, and CEO Satya Nadella will participate in the negotiations, and Microsoft will also announce that it will welcome Mr. Altman in case of an emergency. More than 700 people, representing more than 90% of OpenAI's employees, signed a letter calling for 'a revamp of the board of directors and the reinstatement of Mr. Altman and Mr. Greg Brockman,' calling for Mr. Altman's departure from OpenAI and the reinstatement of Mr. Altman. The possibility of going forward has also emerged.

What is happening to Sam Altman, who was suddenly expelled from OpenAI? Summary in chronological order - GIGAZINE

In the end, it was decided that Mr. Altman would return as CEO of OpenAI, and the controversy was finally settled. Also from the board of directors are Ilya Satskivar, co-founder and principal scientist of the company, Tasha McCauley, an entrepreneur, and Helen Toner, director of strategy at Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technologies. was expelled, and Microsoft was added as an observer without voting rights.

Sam Altman returns as CEO of OpenAI - GIGAZINE

The series of incidents included the conflicting opinions between Mr. Altman and Mr. Satsukivar regarding the 'safety of AI,' and the plot to oust Mr. Toner, who had published a paper criticizing OpenAI's safety efforts. has been said to be the cause.

The Washington Post, a major American daily newspaper, recently reported that ``OpenAI executives warned the board of directors about Altman's psychological abuse of employees,'' which led to Altman's ouster. Ta. According to two sources familiar with the board's thinking, some senior OpenAI executives told the board in the fall of 2023 that 'Mr. Altman was pitting employees against each other in an unhealthy way.' He expressed his concerns.

Although the board did not use the word 'abuse' to describe Mr. Altman's behavior, one employee said that after sharing critical feedback about Mr. Altman, Mr. It seems that it was reported that it happened.

Also, for board members, it was a cause for concern that Altman warned Toner, who published a paper critical of OpenAI in October, and tried to expel him from the board. According to sources, Mr. Altman called other board members and said, ``Mr. Macquarie wants Mr. Toner removed,'' but when a board member later checked with Mr. Macquarie, he said, ``There is absolutely no way. He replied, 'That's a lie.' Given this precedent, the board reportedly secretly proceeded to dismiss Mr. Altman, believing that he was stirring up conflict and disintegration within the company.

Mr. Altman has responded to an interview about the behind the scenes of his resignation, but he has avoided answering the reason for the board's actions, saying, ``I have nothing more to say at this time.''

Sam Altman, who made a sudden comeback in 12 days after retiring as CEO of OpenAI, responds to an interview, but refuses to answer the core question of ``Why was he fired?'' - GIGAZINE

In addition, when Altman announced his return to OpenAI on I would like to thank Helen (Helen Toner, who was also removed from the board) and Tasha (Tasha McCauley, who was also removed from the board) for their support.'' It suggests something.

The best interests of the company and the mission always come first. It is clear that there were real misunderstandings between me and members of the board. For my part, it is incredibly important to learn from this experience and apply those learnings as we move forward as a…

— Sam Altman (@sama) November 30, 2023

Although the board expected that Mr. Altman's ouster would be met with backlash from employees, it did not expect that OpenAI's management team would come together in support of Mr. Altman's return. thing. In addition, Mr. Satsukivar, who at one time agreed with Mr. Altman's expulsion, changed his opinion and signed a letter requesting Mr. Altman's return, and Mr. Altman eventually returned to the CEO position of OpenAI.

'There's been a lot of wild and inaccurate reporting about what was going on at the board meeting, but the important thing is that Elijah and Sam are the leaders of OpenAI,' said Satskivar's lawyer, Alex Winegarden. 'He has made no secret that he is a great fit and is excited to have him take the reins again.'

In addition, in a post on X that has already been deleted, Mr. Satsukivar meaningfully stated that he had learned many lessons over the past month. The post also said, 'One such lesson is that the phrase 'keep hitting until morale improves' applies very well,' The Washington Post reported.