Hundreds of OpenAI employees are threatening to follow former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to Microsoft unless the OpenAI board resigns following their decision to remove Altman as CEO. This move follows a contentious decision by the board that has left employees and investors alike questioning its ability to lead.
The tension within OpenAI has reached a fever pitch, as indicated in recent reports. According to a news article by CNBC, OpenAI employees, including co-founder and board member Ilya Sutskever, have signed a letter demanding resignation of the remaining board members or the employees joining Sam Altman's new venture at Microsoft. The letter claims that the board's actions have shown their inability to oversee OpenAI. The letter that the employees sent also states that Microsoft has assured employees that they will have jobs at the new subsidiary if they choose to join. Some of OpenAI's most senior executives, including former interim CEO Mira Murati and OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap, have signed the letter. Sutskever expressed regret for his participation in the board's actions on social media. Altman was forced out by OpenAI's board, citing unspecified issues with his communications. This has sparked backlash from employees and investors, including Microsoft, Thrive Capital, and Sequoia.
In response to these developments, other major players are preparing their next moves. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that Altman and fellow OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman will join the company in a new, largely independent venture. The number of their "colleagues" joining Microsoft is unclear. Microsoft declined to comment on whether it would hire employees who choose to leave OpenAI. OpenAI was not immediately available to comment on the letter.
To provide further insight into the employees' sentiments, parts of their letter have been shared publicly. According to CNBC, part of the letter states: "When we all unexpectedly learned of your decision, the leadership team of OpenAI acted swiftly to stabilize the company. They carefully listened to your concerns and tried to cooperate with you on all grounds. Despite many requests for specific facts for your allegations, you have never provided any written evidence. They also increasingly realized you were not capable of carrying out your duties, and were negotiating in bad faith." The letter also stated: "The leadership team suggested that the most stabilizing path forward - the one that would best serve our mission, company, stakeholders, employees and the public - would be for you to resign and put in place a qualified board that could lead the company forward in stability. Leadership worked with you around the clock to find a mutually agreeable outcome. Yet within two days of your initial decision, you again replaced interim CEO Mira Murati against the best interests of the company. You also informed the leadership team that allowing the company to be destroyed 'would be consistent with the mission.'"
