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| Former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was fired on November 17, shocking the tech world. (Source: Sam Altman) |
OpenAI just shocked the tech world when it announced the firing of CEO Sam Altman. Members of the tech community immediately expressed their opinions on social media platforms.
OpenAI’s board of directors said it had lost confidence in Altman, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015,’s ability to continue leading the company. They cited Altman’s failure to “maintain forthright communication” with board members as the reason.
“Wow! I was not expecting this kind of ‘blockbuster’ news today,” wrote Pietro Schirano, founder of an AI startup, on X. Matt Wolfe, a developer of an AI tools website, echoed the sentiment, praising Altman as “a brilliant and balanced ambassador for the tech world.”
Some tech leaders have praised the former OpenAI CEO for his impact on them. Eric Schmidt, investor and former Google CEO, wrote: “Sam Altman is my hero. He built a company from nothing to $90 billion and changed our world forever.”
Others speculated about why the board decided to fire Altman. “Like everyone else, I have no idea why the board would fire Sam in this way and so abruptly,” said technology journalist Kara Swisher. She suggested the decision could have been personal or financial.
Some others still couldn't believe it. "Is it April Fools' Day already?" Subbarao Kambha, an AI researcher at Arizona State University, wrote on X.
According to Axios, Microsoft—which has poured billions into OpenAI—only learned the startup was firing Altman a minute before the news was shared with the world. Microsoft is OpenAI’s closest partner and has bet big on the developer ChatGPT, while OpenAI relies on Microsoft for both its finances and cloud services.
Just over a week ago, Sam Altman announced the latest, more powerful version of ChatGPT at his first developer conference.
Not only that, Greg Brockman – co-founder of OpenAI with Altman and Elon Musk – also announced his departure a few hours later. “I am incredibly proud of what we have built together since we started in my apartment 8 years ago. We have been through many ups and downs, achieved many things despite everything. But based on today’s news, I am leaving. I wish you nothing but the best. I continue to believe in the mission of creating safe AI that benefits all of humanity.”
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