Microsoft is said to have thrown its full support behind sacked OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in his bid to return to the company’s top job. The tech giant has invested around $13 million in OpenAI and holds a 49% stake in the company, but was given almost no notice before the high-profile AI startup’s CEO was ousted.
Why is Satya Nadella supporting Sam Altman?
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella reportedly pledged his support for Altman immediately after he was fired by the board. Nadella is also said to be leading negotiations between two factions in the company to bring Altman back as CEO.
One of the reasons for Microsoft’s persistence behind OpenAI could be the huge investment the Windows maker has made in the startup. Another could be the impactful role of OpenAI technology in significantly improving the company’s products.
For example, in the last year alone, Microsoft has used OpenAI technology to make significant improvements to its products, including its Bing search engine, which now runs on OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Windows 11 co-pilot.
According to a Reuters report citing The Information, Microsoft is also likely to take a role on the board if Altman returns to the company. The company, led by Satya Nadella, could take either a seat on the board or as a non-voting observer.
Board looking to find different CEO:
Mira Murati, co-founder of OpenAI and interim CEO of the ChatGPT maker, is working to bring Sam Altman and Greg Brockman back to the company. Altman is said to be negotiating his return to the company, with one of the conditions being the removal of the board that unceremoniously fired him as CEO just 2 days ago.
In addition to Murati, OpenAI investors including Microsoft, Thrive Capital and Global Management are said to be backing Altman’s push to be reinstated as CEO of OpenAI and pushing for the board to resign.
Meanwhile, board members are working to find another CEO to lead the company and have already contacted two prominent technology executives, Bloomberg reported.
Why was Sam Altman removed as OpenAI CEO?
According to a Bloomberg report, Altman and other board members were at odds over how to make OpenAI a successful business. Board members were concerned about the speed at which Altman wanted OpenAI to roll out new products while neglecting AI safety concerns.
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Updated: 20 Nov 2023, 11:39 AM IST