More than 500 OpenAI employees threatened to leave the company unless the board resigns and reinstates CEO Sam Altman, who was shockingly ousted by the board on Friday.
“The process through which you terminated Sam Altman and removed Greg Brockman from the board has jeopardized all of this work and undermined our mission and company” the staff-signed statement reads. “Your conduct has made it clear you did not have the competence to oversee OpenAI.”
Breaking: 505 of 700 employees @OpenAI tell the board to resign. pic.twitter.com/M4D0RX3Q7a
— Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) November 20, 2023
Notably, OpenAI’s chief scientist and board member Ilya Sutskever also signed the letter, signifying a change in tune. Sutskever was considered to be instrumental in the removal of Altman.
Just before the letter was released, Sutskever took to X, posting that “I deeply regret my participation in the board’s actions. I never intended to harm OpenAI. I love everything we’ve built together and I will do everything I can to reunite the company.”
I deeply regret my participation in the board’s actions. I never intended to harm OpenAI. I love everything we’ve built together and I will do everything I can to reunite the company.
— Ilya Sutskever (@ilyasut) November 20, 2023
Altman’s ouster on Friday angered investors including Microsoft who was unaware of the move until a minute before it went public. Since then, rumors swirled that Altman would be brought back into the fold after engaging in negotiations at the company’s headquarters.
More to come…
