OpenAI fires Sam Altman after Board review; Mira Murati made interim CEO

Changes are afoot at the top leadership at ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. In a company blog, OpenAI announced that Sam Altman is departing as CEO and will also leave the board of directors. 

In a statement, the board of directors said, “OpenAI was deliberately structured to advance our mission: to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all humanity. The board remains fully committed to serving this mission. We are grateful for Sam’s many contributions to the founding and growth of OpenAI. At the same time, we believe new leadership is necessary as we move forward. 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.”

OpenAI’s blog states that 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,” it added.

Reacting to the development, Sam Altman wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) feed, “I loved my time at OpenAI. It was transformative for me personally, and hopefully the world a little bit. Most of all, I loved working with such talented people. Will have more to say about what’s next later.”

The Board further announced that Mira Murati, the company’s Chief Technology Officer, will serve as interim CEO, effective immediately. A member of OpenAI’s leadership team for five years, Murati has played a critical role in OpenAI’s evolution into a global AI leader. 

Meanwhile, following Altman’s ouster, Greg Brockman, Co-founder and President, OpenAI, announced on X that he was quitting the organisation. He wrote, “I’m super proud of what we’ve all built together since starting in my apartment 8 years ago. We’ve been through tough and great times together, accomplishing so much despite all the reasons it should have been impossible.”

Continuing further, Brockman wrote, “But based on today’s news, I quit.”

Meanwhile, OpenAI in its blog stated that while Brockman will be stepping down as Chairman of the Board, he will remain in his role at the company, reporting to the CEO.