“Altman Agrees to Internal Investigation Upon Return to OpenAI”, 2023-11-21 (; backlinks):
Sam Altman, who was fired on Friday as CEO of OpenAI and was reinstated Tuesday night after a dramatic battle with the company’s board, has agreed to an internal investigation into alleged conduct that prompted the board to oust him, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. On Friday a blog post from the board said Altman hadn’t been “consistently candid” with board members, without elaborating. Directors later declined to explain the allegation to shellshocked employees, spurring a mass revolt.
As part of a compromise deal to return to OpenAI, neither Altman nor former OpenAI President Greg Brockman, who also departed Friday, will reclaim their seats on the company’s board, this person said. The returning executives also agreed to new 3-person board that includes Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, who was part of the old board that fired Altman. The board’s new chair is Bret Taylor, a former co-CEO of Salesforce, and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers is the third director.
The person with knowledge of the deal said Altman and his team had pushed for more control, including the removal of the entire board that had booted the leader.
…Altman on Tuesday had been holed up in his San Francisco home with Greg Brockman, Murati, Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon, COO Brad Lightcap and other executives as they rode out a standoff with the remaining board directors. A key holdout on the board had been Helen Toner, with whom Altman had clashed before the firing [and tried to fire from the board first].
After Murati informed staff of Altman’s reinstatement, OpenAI’s research chief, Bob McGrew, arrived at Altman’s home to join the team. Shortly after, most of them left the premises. Brockman and a woman who appeared to be his wife, Anna, looked happy as they thanked someone profusely on the phone.