OpenAI employees plan mass resignations if Sam Altman isn’t reinstated

Over 600 employees call for board resignation post-CEO firing

Chaos has erupted within the ChatGPT company as hundreds of OpenAI employees issued a collective ultimatum. They are threatening a mass resignation unless the board, responsible for the company, reinstates the ousted CEO, Sam Altman, and resigns themselves.

In an open letter, almost the entire workforce of 700 OpenAI employees called for the board’s resignation, indicating a potential walkout if Altman is not reinstated.

The surprising dismissal of Altman on Friday has sent shockwaves through Silicon Valley, stirring unrest among the company’s employees and causing rival tech firms to brace for a potential exodus of talent.

The letter addressed to OpenAI’s four remaining board directors on Monday stated, “Your actions have clearly demonstrated your inability to oversee OpenAI. We cannot collaborate with individuals who lack competence, judgment, and concern for our mission and employees.” As of now, the board members have not provided any public response.

The letter also mentioned that those who signed it might have the opportunity to join Sam Altman and OpenAI’s former president, Greg Brockman, at Microsoft. This comes after Microsoft announced on Monday that it had hired both of them to lead a new AI research unit. However, on Monday evening, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella expressed openness to Altman staying at OpenAI or joining Microsoft. Regardless, Nadella highlighted the necessity for a change in OpenAI’s governance structure. It’s worth noting that Microsoft holds the largest stake in OpenAI.

The employees, whose signatures accompany this letter, may opt for resignation from OpenAI to join the recently unveiled Microsoft subsidiary led by Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. This course of action will be taken promptly unless all current board members resign and reinstate Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. The letter’s disclosure was initially made by the tech magazine Wired and journalist Kara Swisher.

Following the public revelation of the letter, OpenAI employees expressed solidarity by tweeting “OpenAI is nothing without its people.” In a demonstration of unity, one AI researcher, Noam, posted on X: “Everyone at @OpenAI is united. This is not a civil war. Unless Sam and Greg are brought back, there will be no OpenAI left to govern.”

Established as a non-profit, OpenAI oversees a commercial subsidiary that, until Friday, was under the leadership of Altman. The 38-year-old executive gained global recognition due to the success of ChatGPT, an AI text-generating system that quickly amassed 100 million users shortly after its November launch last year.

The non-profit board currently comprises four members: OpenAI’s chief scientist, Ilya Sutskever; Adam D’Angelo, the co-founder of the question-and-answer website Quora; Tasha McCauley, a tech entrepreneur; and Helen Toner, a director at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.

In an unexpected turn of events, Sutskever seemed to support his own removal from the board by being one of the signatories of the open letter.

Among the signatories were Mira Murati, OpenAI’s chief technology officer, who briefly assumed the role of interim chief executive following Altman’s departure. However, on Sunday, Emmett Shear, the co-founder of the video game streaming platform Twitch, replaced Murati as the CEO. Altman made an appearance at OpenAI’s headquarters on Sunday after his termination, mentioning on Twitter that he had to wear a guest badge. Nevertheless, he was not reinstated as CEO.

Shear refuted any connection between Altman’s departure and safety concerns at the company in a post on X. The success of ChatGPT has raised concerns among experts, politicians, and tech professionals, sparking fears of an AI arms race that could result in systems capable of evading human control.

The OpenAI board, in its unexpected statement on Friday, cited Altman’s dismissal for a lack of “consistently candid” communication without providing further details.

Sutskever, expressing regret for his role in Altman’s departure, added his signature to the letter. In a post on X, he stated, “I deeply regret my participation in the board’s actions. I never intended to harm OpenAI. I love everything we’ve built together and I will do everything I can to reunite the company.” Altman and Brockman responded with heart emojis, and many of the letter’s signatories followed suit, suggesting a potential resolution.

Altman’s appointment brings attention to Microsoft’s connection with OpenAI, where it holds a 49% stake and has supported with a significant investment. According to Dan Ives, an analyst at the US financial services firm Wedbush Securities, Altman remains in control of OpenAI.

“Altman will essentially now call the shots at OpenAI from Microsoft’s perch despite the clown-show board move over the weekend,” he remarked.