BREAKING NOOZE: Ousted OpenAI Chief Sam Altman to Return Amid Board Boycott

YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) — OpenAI board fired Sam Altman. Now, it wants the ousted celebrity to return to his chair.

Why Does Board Want OpenAI’s Sam Altman to Return, Though?

Did You Know? OpenAI faced leadership challenges following chief executive Sam Altman's abrupt departure. The company appointed Emmett Shear, the former boss of Twitch, as its interim CEO. Altman moved to Microsoft, a backer of OpenAI.

Sam Altman’s return is NOT written in stone. However, one of the allegedly discussed possibilities is Altman rejoining as a director on a transitional board, with another scenario potentially involving former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor joining a new board.

Investors, including Thrive Capital, Khosla Ventures, Tiger Global Management, and Sequoia Capital, strongly advocate for Altman’s return. Their goal is to resolve the management crisis before Thanksgiving, aiming to provide stability and clarity to OpenAI employees amidst this tumultuous period.

What About Microsoft’s Offer?

The plot thickens with Altman’s recent acceptance of a position to head a new AI research lab at Microsoft, a role he might have to renounce to rejoin OpenAI. Altman has reportedly set significant managerial and governance reforms as prerequisites for his return. These demands resonate with many of OpenAI’s backers, including Microsoft.

In a memo, Anna Makanju, OpenAI’s Vice President of global affairs, indicated that the management has engaged in “intense discussions” with the board and Altman. Meanwhile, interim CEO Emmett Shear, who replaced OpenAI CTO Mira Murati, has expressed uncertainty about his future with the company, pending the board’s decision.

In a dramatic turn, more than 700 OpenAI employees, out of approximately 770, have signed a letter demanding the board’s resignation and the reinstatement of Altman. This unrest has prompted other tech giants like Salesforce and Microsoft to seize the opportunity to attract OpenAI talent.

AI tokens Unimpressed

The AI token market dove on Nov. 21 as the OpenAI drama began and hasn’t recovered since. Despite several low-market-cap tokens rallying, the top AI coins printed red candles on Nov. 22.

News of Altman’s possible return did not sway the bearish sentiment either. As the story unfolds, CoinChapter will provide more details to the story.