In the aftermath of a turbulent weekend at OpenAI, marked by fervent discussions among investors and a group of employees pushing for the reinstatement of former Y Combinator president Sam Altman, it has been confirmed that Altman will not be resuming his role as CEO. This decision comes following his abrupt termination on Friday, as reported by The Information.
According to an internal memo shared by Ilya Sutskever, a board director and co-founder of OpenAI, Altman has chosen to step away from ongoing negotiations, at least temporarily. While the quest for a new permanent CEO remains underway, Emmett Shear, the co-founder of the video streaming platform Twitch, has been appointed as interim CEO. Shear takes over from Mira Murati, who held the position for a brief two-day period.
Bloomberg notes that Shear’s deep concern for the existential threats posed by artificial intelligence played a pivotal role in winning over the board. Additionally, his track record of successfully leading large engineering groups during his tenure at Twitch added to his appeal.
Interestingly, reports suggest that Murati was actively advocating for Altman and exploring avenues to bring him back in some capacity, even as the board evaluated potential candidates for the CEO role. The swift appointment of Shear as interim CEO might be linked to this dynamic within the company.
