Sam Altman and former OpenAI president join Microsoft

According to Reuters , OpenAI has appointed Emmett Shear, former CEO of Twitch, to temporarily replace Sam Altman, who is joining Microsoft, to lead a new advanced AI research group.

Along with Sam Altman, Mr. Greg Brockman, co-founder of OpenAI, will also become a new employee of Microsoft.

"We are thrilled to announce that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, along with their colleagues, will join Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research group," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced on November 20.

“We look forward to getting to know and working with Emmett Shear and the new OpenAI leadership team,” Nadella added, stressing that Microsoft remains committed to working with OpenAI.

Former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. (Photo: Reuters)

Microsoft's hiring of Mr. Altman came just hours after OpenAI's four-member board of directors failed to reinstate him as OpenAI CEO after a discussion.

Mr. Altman was said to have returned to OpenAI headquarters to discuss a possible return to the company and changes to its governance structure. There have been concerns that Mr. Altman’s abrupt dismissal could lead to a mass exodus of talent and impact the upcoming $86 billion stock sale.

Multiple sources say that talks between OpenAI's board of directors and Altman did not go as planned.

The decision to fire Sam Altman on November 18 shocked the technology world, as the CEO was a very important factor at OpenAI and was considered the "father" of ChatGPT, OpenAI's most successful product to date.

Brockman also announced his resignation as OpenAI president following the announcement of Altman’s firing. Their departures came as a surprise to many employees who learned about the sudden change in management from an internal message and the company’s public blog.

OpenAI kicked off the AI craze a year ago by releasing ChatGPT, which has since become one of the fastest-growing software applications in the world.

Microsoft is still making a major investment in OpenAI, rumored to be worth around $10 billion. Microsoft is also OpenAI’s exclusive cloud computing partner and a major supporter of the company’s research.

Hoa Vu (Source: Reuters)

Source