“Sam Altman, OpenAI Board Open Talks to Negotiate His Possible Return”, 2023-11-21 ():
Sam Altman, members of the OpenAI board and the company’s interim chief executive officer have opened negotiations aimed at a possible reinstatement of the ousted CEO at the artificial intelligence startup he co-founded, according to people with knowledge of the matter…The talks also involve some of OpenAI’s investors, many of whom are pushing for his reinstatement, one of the people said.
…If Altman returns, it would be as CEO of the company, according to one person. In one scenario being discussed, Altman would become a director on a transitional board, one of the people said. Former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor could also serve as a director on a new board, multiple people said. That the board and Altman are in communication is a substantial development because until Monday, the directors largely refused to engage with the executive they fired Friday, several people have said. OpenAI shareholders angling for Altman’s reinstatement include Thrive Capital, Khosla Ventures and Tiger Global Management, people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg. Prominent venture capital firm Sequoia Capital is working alongside the group, another person said.
…There is a push to resolve the chaos surrounding the company’s leadership before Thanksgiving, said one person, in the hope that employees don’t spend the holiday with uncertainty looming about the state of their jobs.
…Even CEO Emmett Shear has been left in the dark, according to people familiar with the matter. He has told people close to OpenAI that he doesn’t plan to stick around if the board can’t clearly communicate to him in writing its reasoning for Altman’s sudden firing. [“In writing”?]