OpenAI board member Sam Altman quickly returned to work at the company he founded, nearly four months after its CEO was ousted. Altman returned as the AI company’s chief executive in November, but an interim board of directors oversaw his return and a subsequent investigation into his conduct.
According to the company, that investigation is now complete and three new members have been added to the board. Additions include Instacart CEO and former Meta executive Fidji Simo, former Sony executive Nicole Seligman, and Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellmann, former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor, economist Larry Summers and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman will remain interim board chairs, with Taylor continuing as chairman.
The announcement caps a tumultuous few months for the AI company that led to Altman’s abrupt firing last fall.
On Friday, OpenAI released a summary of the findings of WilmerHale, the law firm retained by the company’s board in December 2023 to conduct an independent investigation into the events that led to Altman’s firing. But that still brings us closer to finding out exactly why Altman, who only rejoined the company as CEO after five days, was fired in the first place.
“Wilmer Hale [found] “The previous board decisions were not motivated by concerns about product safety or security, the pace of development, OpenAI’s finances, or its statements to investors, customers or business partners,” the company summarized. “Instead, it was the result of a breakdown in the relationship and loss of trust between the previous board and Mr. Altman.” WilmerHale also concluded that OpenAI’s previous board abruptly fired Altman without notifying “key stakeholders” and without giving him an opportunity to respond to their concerns.
To reach this conclusion, the company reviewed more than 30,000 documents and conducted dozens of interviews with OpenAI employees, including former board members, over the past few months.