After the Exciting Turn in the Leadership Drama at OpenAI, No Respite is Expected for the Time Being. The Return of Sam Altman as Head of the ChatGPT Developer Causes a Stir, but Also New Accusations from Former Employees. For Altman, it is Certainly a Satisfaction that He Returns to the Top of the Company Only a Few Days After His Ousting. His Demand for a Reshuffling of the Board of Directors was Also Fulfilled. This Marks the Provisional Climax of the Ongoing Leadership Drama at the Important International AI Company.

The majority of the 700 employees had threatened to leave in an open letter unless Altman returned and the board of directors resigned. Overnight into Wednesday, the news of Altman's return was published on the online service X. His co-founder Greg Brockman also celebrated the return with a selfie from the office. He is also coming back.

In his statement on X, Satya Nadella, head of business partner and major investor Microsoft, announced that he believes this to be the first important step towards a more stable, well-informed, and effective leadership. He also emphasized that Microsoft wants to continue to strengthen its collaboration with OpenAI in the future. Despite Altman's return, the unrest at OpenAI persists, as the reappointment of the board of directors is still pending. The accusations against Altman, which led to his ouster, are currently being independently investigated.

However, along with the internal investigation, there are also new accusations from former employees, who speak in an open letter of a 'disturbing pattern of deception and manipulation.' To rebuild the lost trust with investors and customers, the management will have to do quite a bit.

On Wednesday evening (local time), new explanations for Altman's dismissal also emerged. According to this, several employees warned the board of directors shortly before Altman's dismissal of a significant breakthrough in artificial intelligence that was seen as a threat to humanity.

The turbulent days at OpenAI began with the resignation of Sam Altman on Friday. The company's structure is bifurcated into a commercial and a foundation-like sector, with the board playing a significant role in both. The reappointment of this body is now underway, with the majority of the previous members who had sought the change in power set to lose their influence. The two co-founders, Altman and Brockman, will also remain on the sidelines for the time being.

The reorganization of the leadership will be undertaken by Bret Taylor, an experienced and prudent manager, who has held senior positions in several tech companies, most recently as co-CEO of Salesforce. Also part of the new board is the prominent economist Larry Summers. However, Adam D'Angelo, CEO of the online network Quora and supporter of Altman's ousting, will continue to serve on the committee. According to analysts from Counterpoint Research, he might have been the actual instigator of the coup.

D'Angelo is an Insider in Silicon Valley, Former Schoolmate of Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg, and Founder of Poe, a Platform Offering Various AI Models Including ChatGPT. Reports Suggested D'Angelo Was Upset About Altman's Plans to Introduce a 'GPT Store,' Which Could Render His Own Platform Obsolete. He is Considered a Key Contact for Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Who is Said to Have Engineered Altman's Return. The Fact That D'Angelo Remains on the Board Suggests That a Critical Voice Will Be Represented.

The Tripartite Configuration of the New Board of Directors is Only Temporary as the Company Still Needs to Clarify Details. Reports Suggest the Board Will Expand from Six to Up to Nine Members. Microsoft, as a Key Partner and Shareholder, Will Likely Insist on Sending at Least One Representative. Altman Will Also Campaign for a Seat on the Committee, as Reported by the Technology Portal "The Verge".

Microsoft is expected to seek changes in the leadership structure at OpenAI as well. In several interviews, Nadella stressed that he wants no more "surprises" and that everything should proceed in a way that the collaboration between the companies remains effective. However, it remains to be seen whether this will involve changes in OpenAI's orientation. The company was founded as a non-profit organization with the mission to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the benefit of humanity. The for-profit subsidiary that cooperates with Microsoft has to be subordinate to this, which apparently led to conflicts with Altman.

According to media reports, the dispute within the company also revolved around the speed at which new AI solutions should be brought to market. Some executives believed that Altman had proceeded too quickly and with too commercial an approach.

The situation escalated when several OpenAI researchers sent a letter to the board of directors warning of a potential threat to humanity from a powerful AI. This letter is said to have been the trigger for Altman's dismissal, after the relationship between him and the board had already cooled previously.

OpenAI Executive Mira Murati Told Employees That the Letter About the AI Model Q* Was Decisive for Altman's Dismissal. Although the Model Was Allegedly Only Operating at Elementary School Level, It Made Researchers Optimistic About the Model's Future Success.

The German venture capitalist and OpenAI investor Peter Thiel also suspected that work was being done within the company on an advanced model. However, it is not possible to independently verify the existence and progress of Q*.

Beyond that, other allegations were also raised against Altman. On platform X, alleged former employees criticized the founder in an open letter, in which they, among other things, denounced his discreet use of non-profit resources for personal interests.

Insiders report an increasing alienation between Altman and several council members, which is attributed, among other things, to his numerous side businesses. Altman is described as highly monetarily motivated and unscrupulous.

At the heart of the conflict lies the differing vision of how OpenAI should be advanced. While Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman pursue the goal of a so-called Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) - an AI that can compete with humans in any intellectual task - the implementation of this goal is said to have been jeopardized under Altman's leadership through questionable methods and reckless actions.

Neither OpenAI nor Altman have publicly commented on the allegations so far. The accusations are anonymous and some doubt them due to the widespread support for Altman among the staff. However, according to the authors, many critical employees have been pushed out of the company, which is reflected in a turnover of 50 percent in just two years.

Elon Musk, Co-Founder of OpenAI, Publishes Open Letter on Developer Platform Github. However, Musk and Altman had already parted ways amid a dispute, as Musk was dissatisfied with the profit-oriented focus and the collaboration with Microsoft.