In a stunning development, some OpenAI employees are reported to have threatened to walk off the job if former CEO and President Sam Altman re-enters the company. All of this has occurred after Altman recently joined Microsoft to become its Chief Strategy Officer.
OpenAI is one of the world’s leading artificial intelligence firms that look to tackle big issues such as climate change. Founded in 2015, the company boasts a team of many AI experts and even Elon Musk who had served as Chairman of the Board until he stepped down last summer. OpenAI has been a major player in the industry since then and has seen a lot of success in its research and development within the field.
However, that could now be in jeopardy due to Altman’s move to Microsoft. It appears that the staff at OpenAI have been pushed to the edge by the decision to appoint Altman, as well as the lack of communication from the company. This has resulted in multiple employees making the threat to quit if their former CEO is welcomed back.
OpenAI has since denied reports of any such threats and stated that their relationship with Altman was amicable. Furthermore, the company has downplayed the incident and reiterated its commitment to remain a leader in the industry.
At the end of the day, this is an internal matter that OpenAI will have to deal with. OpenAI’s current CEO and Chief Scientist Greg Brockman has reportedly been in touch with employees to get a sense of what their current feeling is about the situation and how it can be solved. It remains to be seen what will happen, but one thing is for sure, the future of OpenAI is very much in the balance.
“Threat of Mass Exodus at OpenAI as Sam Altman Joins Microsoft
