KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Microsoft has hired Sam Altman as head of a new artificial intelligence research team after he was fired as CEO of ChatGPT maker OpenAI.
- Employees wrote a letter to OpenAI’s board of directors threatening to follow Sam Altman to Microsoft if the board does not resign and reinstate Altman.
- Microsoft is OpenAI’s largest shareholder and has invested $13 billion in the startup.
- Microsoft shares, which had fallen after OpenAI announced Altman’s departure, rose 1.5% in early trading on Monday.
Microsoft (MSFT) said it hired Sam Altman to lead an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) research team after he was fired as CEO of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, and shares rose in early trading Monday.
Former OpenAI president and chairman Greg Brockman, who had also been asked to resign from his position and resign from OpenAI, joined Microsoft along with Altman. Other OpenAI colleagues suggested they would follow them to Microsoft as well.
More than 500 of OpenAI’s 700 employees, including co-founder and board member Ilya Sutskever and former interim CEO Mira Murati, reportedly wrote a letter to OpenAI’s board of directors threatening to resign and join Sam Altman’s team. at Microsoft, demanding Altman’s reinstatement and the resignation of the remaining OpenAI members. Board members.
In a post on LinkedIn, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said: “We are very excited to share the news that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, along with their colleagues, will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced research team. of AI”, and added: “We hope to act quickly to provide them with the resources necessary for their success.”
Microsoft has invested $13 billion in OpenAI and represents its largest shareholder, with a stake of around 49%.
Nadella also said that the company also looks forward to meeting and working with former Twitch CEO Emmet Shear, who has taken over as interim CEO of OpenAI, as well as the rest of OpenAI’s new leadership team.
Microsoft shares, which had fallen after Altman’s departure from OpenAI was announced on Friday, rose 1.5% in early trading on Monday after Microsoft said he would join the company.
Correction—November. 20, 2023: This story has been updated to include additional information about a letter from OpenAI employees to the OpenAI board of directors.
