Hundreds of OpenAI employees have vowed to leave the leading artificial intelligence startup and join Microsoft, exacerbating a crisis sparked by CEO Sam Altman’s surprise dismissal.
Altman, who was fired by the board of directors on Friday, has now been hired by Microsoft, where he will supervise the development of a new advanced AI research team.
There was speculation on Monday that OpenAI is interested in bringing Altman back, and that he might be receptive to the concept under specific conditions.
“We want to partner with Open AI and we want to partner with Sam so irrespective of where Sam is he’s working with Microsoft,” chief executive Satya Nadella said in a streamed Bloomberg interview.
“That was the case on Friday. That’s the case today. And we absolutely believe that will be the case tomorrow.”
The great majority of OpenAI’s 770-strong personnel indicated in a letter disclosed to the media that they would follow Altman unless the board responsible for his departure resigned.
“Your actions have made it obvious that you are incapable of overseeing OpenAI,” the letter said. “Microsoft has assured us that there are positions for all OpenAI employees at this new subsidiary should we choose to join.”
Co-founder Ilya Sutskever, the company’s top scientist and a member of the four-person board that pushed Altman out, was among the signatures. “I deeply regret my participation in the board’s actions,” Sutskever wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I never meant to harm OpenAI.”
Another signatory was top executive Mira Murati, who was selected to replace Altman as CEO when he was fired on Friday but did not make it through the weekend.
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