Prominent investors continued to urge OpenAI to restore Sam Altman to his CEO position since the artificial intelligence startup’s survival was still in doubt. A source familiar with the situation said that on Monday, discussions went on despite a significant number of OpenAI employees threatening to resign if Altman was not reinstated by the board. Concurrently, competitors of OpenAI were publicly courting any displeased workers from the startup business that created the widely popular chatbot ChatGPT.
Microsoft and other CEOs on recruiting Altman
The CEO of Salesforce, Marc Benioff, requested that resumes be sent directly to him and offered to recruit any OpenAI researcher to work on his company’s AI program in exchange for a comparable salary. According to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, the business was recruiting Altman and Greg Brockman, the president of OpenAI, who quit in protest following Altman’s dismissal. It was also planning to hire additional people. Microsoft owns around 49% of OpenAI, although it has no say in how it is run.
In interviews conducted late on Monday, Nadella stated that he wanted to collaborate with Altman regardless of the outcome, leaving open the potential that Altman might take up his previous position at OpenAI. Additionally, he stated that OpenAI’s governance needed to be changed. In a letter to the board of directors, almost 700 workers at the artificial intelligence firm expressed their intention to quit. Right now, OpenAI employs around 770 people.
Thrive Capital offers to acquire OpenAI staff shares
In a move known as a tender, investors led by Thrive Capital want to offer to acquire shares from OpenAI staff members, valuing the business at $86 billion. According to someone with knowledge of the situation, Thrive, which is spearheading the offer, is moving forward with its plans despite the unrest at OpenAI, supposing it can entice Altman back to the company. The plans might be in jeopardy if Altman doesn’t return, as the money hasn’t been sent yet.
It’s unclear, though, if Thrive and the other investors will be able to go back in time. To begin with, a few of these same individuals expressed optimism over the weekend that they might persuade the OpenAI board to change their minds. Ultimately, the directors decided on Shear after presenting Altman’s former position to a number of Silicon Valley leaders.
Altman’s returns depend on Board member’s reconsideration
The other board members, Tasha McCauley, CEO of GeoSim Systems; Adam D’Angelo, co-founder and CEO of Quora; and Helen Toner, director of strategy and foundational research grants at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, would have to reconsider if they wanted Altman to come back.
One of OpenAI’s first backers, Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Khosla Ventures, stated he thinks D’Angelo is committed.
In an interview, he stated, “Yes, it’s a smooth path if Adam does what Ilya did.” “There will be a protracted legal battle if he doesn’t.” An email for comment from D’Angelo was not immediately answered.
Those acquainted with the thinking of certain investors indicate that litigation against the OpenAI board is already being considered.
