Sam Altman, the co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, the company behind the popular ChatGPT chatbot, has been fired by the board of directors, according to a blog post by the company.
Altman, a prominent figure in the field of artificial intelligence, had led OpenAI since 2015, transforming it into a technology leader with substantial funding from Microsoft and other investors.
Altman, a tech entrepreneur, became a spokesperson for the industry’s shift towards AI, advocating before US Congress and engaging with lawmakers globally. He represented OpenAI, a company that entered rare territory by securing billions of dollars in funding from Microsoft and garnering envy from Silicon Valley giants like Google and Meta, Facebook’s parent company.
Altman has been the face of OpenAI, particularly after the release of ChatGPT, which kick-started the AI race. Recently, he led the keynote at the company’s inaugural DevDay conference, where major updates were announced to compete with tech giants, such as Microsoft and Google.
As OpenAI’s CEO, Altman elevated the company to the status of the most consequential AI company globally, talks were underway to sell employee shares at a valuation of $86 billion, highlighting the company’s significant influence.
ChatGPT and Dall-E are OpenAI’s generative tools , leveraging technology that trains on extensive digital data to produce human-like text and images.
ChatGPT, which is powered by a massive neural network, can converse with users on various topics, generating realistic and engaging responses. Dall-E, on the other hand, can create images from text prompts, such as “a dragon” or “a cat wearing a hat”.
The reasons for Altman’s ouster are not clear, but the company said in its blog post that it was “a difficult decision” and it had been “grateful for his contributions”. Altman, who took to microblogging site X shortly after the news broke, said he loved his time at OpenAI and hoped he had made a positive impact on the world.
Greg Brockman, another OpenAI co-founder who served as chairman of the board, also stepped down immediately after Altman’s departure was announced. He, too, took to X to share the note he sent the OpenAI team, announcing his decision to quit. He said he had been through tough and great times with the company, but he could not continue after the news.
Mira Murati, an Albanian-born engineer and OpenAI’s Chief Technology Officer, will serve as the interim CEO. Murati played a crucial role in developing ChatGPT and Dall-E. Muarti said she was “honoured and humbled” to step into the leadership role.
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