Hours after returning to the OpenAI board, CEO Sam Altman apologized for the way he handled the drama prior to and after his surprise ouster from the AI startup in November.
What Happened: On Friday, while expressing his gratitude and optimism for the future, Altman said he wished he had handled things differently.
"When I believed a former board member was harming OpenAI through some of their actions, I should have handled that situation with more grace and care. I apologize for this."
Although Altman hasn't expressly mentioned the said board member, reports suggest it could be Helen Toner. The two had disagreements over how AI safety needs to be handled.
While Altman did try to oust her, he ended up losing the battle and got ousted himself.
"I wish I had done it differently," he said.
A new report suggests that CTO Mira Murati as well as OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever also played a role in Altman's ouster.
When asked if it was a "palace coup," Sutskever acknowledged it and said "You can call it this way," before expressing regret two days later.
Interestingly, Altman acknowledged the leadership of Murati and president Greg Brockman, two key figures in OpenAI. While Murati was named the interim CEO after Altman's ouster, Brockman had backed Altman throughout the drama.
Meanwhile, Altman's vocal critic and Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk also reacted to Altman's reinstatement to the OpenAI board, saying "lol."
Why It Matters: Altman’s tweet comes in the wake of his brief removal from OpenAI three months ago. The decision by OpenAI’s board was contentious and led to a period of internal strife within the AI research firm. An external law firm is expected to provide further insights into the reasons behind this action and the events leading up to Altman’s return.
Apart from Altman, OpenAI has three new board members – Fidji Simo, Sue Desmond-Hellmann, and Nicole Seligman.
Desmond-Hellmann is the former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Her appointment is interesting and comes at a time when there is increasing scrutiny about OpenAI's closeness with Microsoft Corp.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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