A letter signed by over 500 OpenAI employees demands the resignation of the company’s board, following the controversial firing of CEO Sam Altman and his subsequent hiring by Microsoft.
The letter, which was leaked to CNN, alleges that the board mishandled Altman’s termination, did not provide adequate justification for accusing Altman of being dishonest with the board, and breached trust with the company’s executive leadership.
The employees wrote that the board’s actions showed their “inability to oversee OpenAI” and expressed their unwillingness to work with people who “lack competence, judgement and care for our mission and employees.”
The letter also threatens that the employees will soon join Altman at Microsoft, unless the board steps down and reinstates Altman and Greg Brockman, the former OpenAI president who was also dismissed by the board on Friday.
Among the signatories are Mira Murati, who was briefly appointed as Altman’s interim replacement by the board, and Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s co-founder, chief scientist and board member who reportedly had a role in Altman’s removal. Murati’s position has since been replaced by Emmett Shear, the 40-year-old co-founder of the livestreaming company Twitch.
On Monday, Sutskever issued an apology on X, admitting his involvement in the leadership crisis, which seemed to stem from disagreements between Altman and the board over the direction and speed of AI development.
He said that he deeply regretted his participation in the board’s actions and that he never meant to harm OpenAI. He also declared his love for the company and his commitment to reunify it.
The letter reveals the internal conflicts at OpenAI that have become public after Altman’s firing, and casts doubt on the future of OpenAI’s three non-employee board members: Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, technology entrepreneur Tasha McCauley and Helen Toner, director of strategy and foundational research grants at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.
The letter claims that the board members told the leadership team that letting the company be destroyed would be “consistent with the mission” of OpenAI, which is to “ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.”
The letter also highlights Altman’s popularity among the employees and Microsoft’s potential to gain from the situation.
The letter states that Microsoft has assured the employees that there are positions for all of them at Microsoft.
Altman echoed Sutskever’s apology by quote-posting it on X. He added a brief comment consisting of three heart emojis.
A letter signed by over 500 OpenAI employees demands the resignation of the company’s board, following the controversial firing of CEO Sam Altman and his subsequent hiring by Microsoft.
The letter, which was leaked to CNN, alleges that the board mishandled Altman’s termination, did not provide adequate justification for accusing Altman of being dishonest with the board, and breached trust with the company’s executive leadership.
The employees wrote that the board’s actions showed their “inability to oversee OpenAI” and expressed their unwillingness to work with people who “lack competence, judgement and care for our mission and employees.”
The letter also threatens that the employees will soon join Altman at Microsoft, unless the board steps down and reinstates Altman and Greg Brockman, the former OpenAI president who was also dismissed by the board on Friday.
Among the signatories are Mira Murati, who was briefly appointed as Altman’s interim replacement by the board, and Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s co-founder, chief scientist and board member who reportedly had a role in Altman’s removal. Murati’s position has since been replaced by Emmett Shear, the 40-year-old co-founder of the livestreaming company Twitch.
On Monday, Sutskever issued an apology on X, admitting his involvement in the leadership crisis, which seemed to stem from disagreements between Altman and the board over the direction and speed of AI development.
He said that he deeply regretted his participation in the board’s actions and that he never meant to harm OpenAI. He also declared his love for the company and his commitment to reunify it.
The letter reveals the internal conflicts at OpenAI that have become public after Altman’s firing, and casts doubt on the future of OpenAI’s three non-employee board members: Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, technology entrepreneur Tasha McCauley and Helen Toner, director of strategy and foundational research grants at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.
The letter claims that the board members told the leadership team that letting the company be destroyed would be “consistent with the mission” of OpenAI, which is to “ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.”
The letter also highlights Altman’s popularity among the employees and Microsoft’s potential to gain from the situation.
The letter states that Microsoft has assured the employees that there are positions for all of them at Microsoft.
Altman echoed Sutskever’s apology by quote-posting it on X. He added a brief comment consisting of three heart emojis.
