The world’s hottest AI company went through three CEOs in under a week and ended up with the same one it had at the start — so what happened, and what’s next?
On November 17th, 2023, OpenAI’s nonprofit board abruptly announced that co-founder and CEO Sam Altman was out. The shake-up came just shy of one year after the launch of ChatGPT, which quickly became one of the fastest-growing apps in history and initiated an industry-wide race to build generative AI.
Over a period of just a few days, the CEO job shuffled between CTO Mira Murati and former Twitch boss Emmett Shear. Meanwhile, hundreds of OpenAI employees said they would leave for jobs at Microsoft, OpenAI’s lead investor, unless the board reinstated Altman. In the end, Altman returned, along with co-founder Greg Brockman and a revamped board of directors.
On March 8th, after an independent investigation into his sudden firing, OpenAI reinstated Altman as a member of the board, along with three other additions.
That same month, OpenAI co-founder Elon Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, claiming that the company’s pursuit of profit has led it to abandon its founding nonprofit mission to develop artificial general intelligence technology (AGI) that will benefit humanity.
All of the news and updates about OpenAI continue below.
Microsoft is letting OpenAI get its own AI compute now
OpenAI and SoftBank are starting a $500 billion AI data center company
OpenAI announces plan to transform into a for-profit company
Meta asks the government to block OpenAI’s switch to a for-profit
Inside the launch — and future — of ChatGPT
Sam Altman lowers the bar for AGI
Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI
Microsoft prepares for OpenAI’s next model as their relationship strains
OpenAI plans to release its next big AI model by December
Departing OpenAI leader says no company is ready for AGI
Former OpenAI CTO Mira Murati’s next move: another AI startup.
OpenAI was a research lab — now it’s just another tech company
OpenAI CTO Mira Murati is leaving
Jony Ive confirms he’s working on a new device with OpenAI
OpenAI searches for an answer to its copyright problems
ChatGPT’s weekly users have doubled in less than a year
Another OpenAI co-founder departs.
Elon Musk is suing OpenAI and Sam Altman again
Microsoft now lists OpenAI as a competitor.
Microsoft and Apple ditch OpenAI board seats amid regulatory scrutiny
Apple’s Phil Schiller is reportedly joining OpenAI’s board
Former head of NSA joins OpenAI board
Elon Musk drops lawsuit against OpenAI
OpenAI adds two new executives.
Former OpenAI board member explains why they fired Sam Altman
OpenAI has a new safety team — it’s run by Sam Altman
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on the company’s employee NDAs.
OpenAI researcher resigns, claiming safety has taken ‘a backseat to shiny products’
OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever is officially leaving
OpenAI says there is no “agreement at all” with Elon Musk.
Sam Altman rejoins OpenAI’s board after investigation into sudden firing
OpenAI says Elon Musk wanted ‘absolute control’ of the company
Elon Musk’s legal case against OpenAI is hilariously bad
Elon Musk sues OpenAI for abandoning its mission to benefit humanity
The latest rumor about Sam Altman’s AI chip-building dream could require up to $7 trillion.
Microsoft’s observer has reportedly joined the OpenAI board.
A peek inside the black box that is OpenAI’s finances.
“The destruction of the company could be consistent with the board’s mission.”
Not a flattering portrayal of Sam Altman.
In firing Altman, OpenAI’s board wanted to keep the element of surprise
OpenAI’s GPT store delayed to next year
Sam Altman on being fired and rehired by OpenAI
Microsoft joins OpenAI’s board with Sam Altman officially back as CEO
OpenAI’s board needs to say something
A troll worthy of Clippy themself.
A recent OpenAI breakthrough on the path to AGI has caused a stir.
Read Microsoft’s internal memos about the chaos at OpenAI
Sam Altman to return as CEO of OpenAI
OpenAI drops a big new ChatGPT feature with a joke about its CEO drama
The negotiations to bring Sam Altman back to OpenAI slowly continue.
Microsoft offers to match OpenAI compensation.
OpenAI exec to employees: “our number one goal remains to reunify OpenAI.”
A few more updates about OpenAI.
Is Sam Altman joining Microsoft? Satya Nadella doesn’t seem to know
Today on the (emergency) Vergecast: what in the world is happening at OpenAI.
Sam Altman is still trying to return as OpenAI CEO
Of course there’s a rationalist Harry Potter fanfic angle to the OpenAI drama.
Sam Altman isn’t showing up in Microsoft’s corporate directory yet.
Hundreds of OpenAI employees threaten to resign and join Microsoft
We’re all trying to find the guy who did this.
OpenAI employees are openly criticizing the company’s leadership.
Sam Altman has a CEO title inside Microsoft.
OpenAI’s new CEO is Twitch co-founder Emmett Shear
Microsoft hires former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
Sam Altman isn’t coming back to OpenAI
The deal to bring Sam Altman back to OpenAI appears to be going sideways.
The OpenAI negotiations are being fueled by boba tea and McDonalds.
It’s the endgame for Sam Altman’s potential return to OpenAI.
Why OpenAI employees were posting all those heart emojis.
Where we are with the Sam Altman saga.
The OpenAI drama will drag on until Sunday.
More on the pressure for OpenAI’s board to restore Sam Altman as CEO.
OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO
Sam Altman says he has a new venture in mind.
OpenAI’s COO told employees that Sam Altman wasn’t fired for “malfeasance.”
Three high-level OpenAI researchers have quit.
This is how OpenAI fired its CEO, Sam Altman.
OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman is leaving, too
Sam Altman makes his first statement after getting ousted from OpenAI.
Sam Altman fired as CEO of OpenAI
OpenAI is letting anyone create their own version of ChatGPT
ChatGPT continues to be one of the fastest-growing services ever
