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An independent investigation commissioned by OpenAI\u2019s nonprofit board has found that CEO Sam Altman\u2019s conduct \u201cdid not mandate removal.\u201d After surviving an attempted boardroom coup in November, he will now rejoin the board.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In a press release, board chair Bret Taylor said the law firm WilmerHale interviewed board members, employees, and reviewed \u201cmore than 30,000 documents\u201d to reach the conclusion that Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman \u201care the right leaders for OpenAI.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
In addition to Altman, Taylor also announced three more OpenAI board members: Sue Desmond-Hellmann, the former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Nicole Seligman, a former legal executive at Sony; and Fidji Simo, the CEO of Instacart. They will join Taylor, Altman, Quora CEO Adam D\u2019Angelo, and Larry Summers\u00a0in governing OpenAI\u2019s nonprofit parent company.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
For those seeking to better understand why Altman was suddenly fired from his perch last fall, OpenAI\u2019s public summary of the WilmerHale investigation is frustratingly light on details. The law firm said the board believed it \u201cwould mitigate internal management challenges\u201d by firing Altman suddenly, and that the \u201cdecision did not arise out of concerns regarding product safety or security, the pace of development, OpenAI\u2019s finances, or its statements to investors, customers, or business partners.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
OpenAI\u2019s summary of the investigation is frustratingly light on details<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The summary of the investigation uses the same vague language that OpenAI\u2019s previous board published to justify its decision to fire Altman: that the incident, which I\u2019m told OpenAI employees refer to as \u201cThe Blip,\u201d was a \u201cconsequence of a breakdown in the relationship and loss of trust between the prior Board and Mr. Altman.\u201d WilmerHale also found that the prior board moved \u201cwithout advance notice to key stakeholders, and without a full inquiry or an opportunity for Mr. Altman to address the prior Board\u2019s concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
On a short video call with reporters Friday, Altman apologized for believing that \u201ca former OpenAI board member was harming OpenAI through their actions\u201d but declined to go into more detail. It has been widely reported that he tussled with ex-board member Helen Toner over an academic paper she co-authored that was critical of OpenAI\u2019s approach to safety, and that others expressed concerns about the conflicts of interest posed by Altman\u2019s other investments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
OpenAI said on Friday that it planned to \u201cstrengthen\u201d its conflict of interest policy for employees without elaborating, and that it would also create a whistleblower hotline for employees and contractors. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
During the call with reporters, Altman appeared cheerful while sitting next to Bret Taylor. At one point, he was asked about the employment status of co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, who played a key role in the failed coup but changed sides when the majority of OpenAI employees threatened to quit if Altman didn\u2019t return. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Sutskever has since gone quiet, leading to questions about his involvement with the company going forward. On the call, Altman said there was \u201cnothing to announce\u201d but that \u201cIlya is awesome,\u201d and \u201cI hope we work together for the rest of our careers.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n