Today, the board of directors at ChatGPT developer OpenAI announced that chief executive officer (CEO) Sam Altman is departing as CEO and leaving the board of directors, effective immediately. Chief technology officer Mira Murati has been appointed interim CEO.
In a post on the OpenAI blog, the company said Altman’s departure “follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities. The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”
In a statement, the board of directors said: “OpenAI was deliberately structured to advance our mission: to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all humanity. The board remains fully committed to serving this mission. We are grateful for Sam’s many contributions to the founding and growth of OpenAI. At the same time, we believe new leadership is necessary as we move forward. As the leader of the company’s research, product, and safety functions, Mira is exceptionally qualified to step into the role of interim CEO. We have the utmost confidence in her ability to lead OpenAI during this transition period.”
As part of the transition, the chairman of the board, Greg Brockman, will be stepping down, though he will continue as president, reporting to the CEO.
UPDATE: Brockman has now resigned. He tweeted the news this evening.
After learning today’s news, this is the message I sent to the OpenAI team: https://t.co/NMnG16yFmm pic.twitter.com/8x39P0ejOM
— Greg Brockman (@gdb) November 18, 2023