Sam Altman on sacking from OpenAI: ‘Like reading your own eulogy while you’re still alive’

OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, announced on Friday that it has removed its co-founder and CEO, Sam Altman, following a review that revealed he was “not consistently candid in his communications” with the board of directors.
“The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI,” said the artificial intelligence company in a blog post.

In the year since Altman propelled ChatGPT to global fame, he has emerged as Silicon Valley’s influential voice on the promises and potential risks of artificial intelligence. His abrupt and mostly unexplained departure has introduced uncertainty into the industry’s future.

OpenAI’s chief technology officer, Mira Murati, will assume the role of interim CEO immediately as the company conducts a search for a permanent replacement.
The announcement also mentioned that another co-founder and prominent executive, Greg Brockman, who serves as the board’s chairman, would step down from that role but remain with the company as its president. However, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Brockman stated, “based on today’s news, I quit.”

OpenAI, however, refrained from providing details on the nature of Altman’s alleged lack of candor, stating only that his behavior was impeding the board’s ability to fulfill its responsibilities.
Altman posted on X shortly after OpenAI published its blog: “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.”

In next post on X, Altman described about his ” weird experience” of being sacked from the OpenAI.
“I love you all. today was a weird experience in many ways. but one unexpected one is that it has been sorta like reading your own eulogy while you’re still alive. the outpouring of love is awesome. one takeaway: go tell your friends how great you think they are,” Altman said in his post.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Altman expressed shock and anger over his ouster and attributed the board’s decision to a power struggle. He specifically pointed to conflicts with board members, including OpenAI’s chief scientist and fellow co-founder, Ilya Sutskever. The disagreements revolved around various issues, such as finding the right balance between speed and safety, as reported by individuals familiar with one of the conversations, the WSJ report said.
The sudden removal of Altman sent ripples of surprise across the tech industry. This development followed a week during which Altman made multiple public appearances to discuss the company. It represents a remarkable reversal for a figure who had become the prominent face of the generative AI.
(With inputs from agencies)