Sam Altman Is 'Trying To Live Years In The Future,' My Job Is To Focus On Today, Says OpenAI COO

In a recent interview, OpenAI’s chief operating officer Brad Lightcap shed light on the dynamic balance between future innovation, embodied by the company’s newly reinstated CEO Sam Altman, and today’s objectives, primarily his objectives. 

What Happened: Lightcap did an interview with CNBC last month and again after the leadership changes at OpenAI. During this conversation, he spoke about OpenAI’s AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT’s launch a year ago in November, the startup’s first in-person event, Dev Day, the development in the realm of artificial intelligence, and more.

During the interview, Lightcap also spoke about his symbiotic relationship with Altman, saying he and Altman have one commonality — an enthusiasm for high-speed progress. 

“Sam is fun to work with – moves incredibly fast. I think he and I have that in common, that we like to maintain high velocity on all things,” Lightcap stated.

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He then went on to highlight their contrasting approaches. “Sam is definitely future-oriented—trying to live years in the future. He’s quite good at that.” 

He added, “My job is to make sure that the way that we built the company, the way we build our operations, the way that we build our engagement model with our customers and our partners, reflects not only where we think the world is going on that five-plus-year basis, but also accomplishes the things that we want to accomplish today. “

When asked about Altman’s return to the company and how it will impact the day-to-day at OpenAI, Lightcap simply said he doesn’t expect any changes. 

However, he did mention that the last couple of weeks, during which ChatGPT-parent witnessed a massive turmoil, “brought the company together in a way that is hard to describe.”

 Why It’s Important: Altman was ousted by OpenAI’s board earlier this year on Nov. 17. The board at the time said that they had concerns regarding Altman’s transparency in communication with them. 

Unsurprisingly, this decision sent a shockwave in the industry, which eventually ended with OpenAI employees threatening to resign unless the board was replaced and Altman reinstated. 

Ultimately, the employees won, and Altman came back. The old board was also dissolved, and new members were appointed, including Bret Taylor (chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo. Microsoft Corporation has also secured a non-voting observer role on the OpenAI board.

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