OpenAI Plan to Re-Hire Sam Altman Fails, Another CEO Appointed

Following the unexpected termination of Sam Altman as CEO, OpenAI has now appointed former Twitch CEO Emmett Shear as its interim CEO, marking a significant shift in the company’s leadership.

This decision comes after a tumultuous weekend of negotiations, initially aimed at reinstating Altman, as reported by The Information.

Mira Murati, who temporarily led OpenAI and is known for her alignment with Altman, will now be succeeded by Shear. This rapid succession of leadership changes, with three CEOs within three days, indicates a period of intense internal dynamics at OpenAI. God, there’s not enough popcorn for what has transpired in the past 72 hours.

Altman’s dismissal last Friday was attributed to his lack of “consistent candidness in communications” by the board. The subsequent discussions about his potential return were driven by pressure from investors (led by Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, a backer of OpenAI) and the threat of a mass employee walkout on Saturday.

OpenAI is the creator of the wildly popular ChatGPT, one of the fastest-growing generative AI services. The company’s valuation recently soared to between $80 and $90 billion with over 100 million weekly users.

The OpenAI board has hired Emmett Shear as CEO. He is the former CEO of Twitch.

My understanding is that Sam is in shock. https://t.co/GpMp9nm6qo

— Emily Chang (@emilychangtv) November 20, 2023

Despite these efforts, Altman’s brief visit to OpenAI’s office on Sunday, under a guest badge, seems to mark his final departure from the company.

According to Bloomberg’s Emily Chang on late Sunday, she said on X, “my understanding is that Sam is in shock.”