REVEALED: OpenAI leaders accused CEO Sam Altman of being ‘psychologically abusive’ and ‘creating chaos’ before he was sensationally fired by the board
- The report alleges that the complaints played a role in Altman's Nov. 17 firing
- Company executives complained about Altman's management style
Before he was recently fired and then quickly rehired, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman faced internal complaints from senior leaders at the company, according to a new report.
Several senior leaders approached OpenAI's board and accused Altman of psychologically abusing and creating chaos at the startup, the WashingtonPost reported Friday, citing two people familiar with the board's thinking.
Those complaints about Altman were a major factor in the board's decision to fire him on Nov. 17.
Altman was brought back five days later and the company's board membership was shuffled after major investor Microsoft backed Altman.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.
Before he was recently fired and then quickly rehired, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman faced internal complaints from senior leaders at the company, according to a new report.
Initially, OpenAI's board said Altman was fired because “he was not consistently forthcoming in his communications with the board, which prevented the board from fulfilling its responsibilities.”
Later reporting suggested that the administration's coup stemmed from a clash over technological advances and a dispute between champions of rapid innovation and a faction more concerned about security.
“It is clear that there were real misunderstandings between me and the members of the board of directors,” Altman posted on X after he was brought back to lead the company.
“For me, it is incredibly important to learn from this experience and apply those lessons as we move forward as a company,” he added.
The new report is the first to suggest complaints from senior leaders about Altman, who reportedly enjoys fierce loyalty within the company's ranks.
According to the Post, employees complained that Altman had been “psychologically abusive,” including allegations that he had “pitted employees against each other in unhealthy ways.”
The outlet reported that the complaints resonated with board members who had their own problems with Altman, including some who believed he had lied to them as part of a campaign to remove Helen Toner from the board after she published an article in which she OpenAI criticized.
The board coup against Altman was led by OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, supported by the two independent directors: Toner and technology entrepreneur Tasha McCauley.
The governance coup against Altman was led by OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, seen above
Sutskever led the charge to withdraw Altman – after successfully persuading fellow board members Tasha McCauley (left) and Helen Toner (right)
Altman's ally, OpenAI president Greg Brockman, was also removed from the board as part of the coup.
Faced with pressure from Microsoft and the prospect of massive staff cuts across the company, the board relented and was reconstituted.
The board now includes former Salesforce executive Bret Taylor as chairman, Lawrence Summers, and Adam D'Angelo, Quora's CEO and the only holdover from the previous board.
The new OpenAI board is actively looking for six new members with expertise in areas from technology to security and policy. OpenAI investors are unlikely to get a seat on the nonprofit's board, sources told Reuters.
Microsoft has committed to investing more than $10 billion in OpenAI and owns 49 percent of the company.