By Ashlee Vance, Ed Ludlow and Emily Chang
Sam Altman and members of OpenAI’s board have opened negotiations aimed at a possible return of the ousted co-founder and CEO to the artificial intelligence company, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Discussions are taking place between Altman and at least one board member, Adam D’Angelo, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private and may not come to fruition. The talks also involve some of OpenAI’s investors, who are also pushing for its reinstatement, one of the people said.
In one scenario being discussed, Altman would return as director in a transitional administration, one of the people said.
The fact that the board and Altman are communicating is a significant development because, until Monday, the directors largely refused to engage with the director they fired on Friday, several people said.
On Monday, Anna Makanju, the company’s vice president of global affairs, sent a memo to staff saying the company was in “intense discussions” with the board, Altman and new CEO Emmett Shear to unify the company. The message came after numerous employees threatened to quit if Altman was not reinstated, among other demands.
The board has come under heavy scrutiny for its decision to fire Altman, saying the CEO was not “consistently candid in his communications.” In the days since, board members and staffers have said the removal had nothing to do with “crime” or “security,” creating an information vacuum and prompting Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to publicly say he has been denied an explanation datum.
Even CEO Shear has been left in the dark, according to people familiar with the matter. He has told people close to OpenAI that he has no intention of staying if the board cannot clearly tell him the reason for Altman’s sudden resignation.
Until Friday, the company’s board consisted of Altman, president Greg Brockman, chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, CEO of Quora Inc. Adam D’Angelo, technology entrepreneur Tasha McCauley and Helen Toner, director of strategy at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology. After Altman’s departure, Brockman resigned in protest.
OpenAI declined to comment on the negotiations.