OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will return to the board of maker ChatGPT along with three new directors, the world’s top artificial intelligence company said on Friday.
Law firm WilmerHale’s investigation into the events surrounding Altman’s November firing has ended, and the company has created new governance rules and strengthened its conflict of interest policy. The board said it unanimously supports Altman’s leadership.
Employees, investors and OpenAI’s biggest financial backer, Microsoft, expressed shock at Altman’s ouster, which was reversed within days.
On Friday, OpenAI said it was appointing new directors including Altman, Sue Desmond-Hellmann, the former CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Nicole Seligman, the former president of Sony Entertainment, and Fidji Simo, the CEO of Instacart.
Altman welcomed the new board members in a post on X, adding, “We have important work ahead of us.”
He will join current board members Adam D’Angelo, CEO of Quora, former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and Chairman Bret Taylor, former CEO of Salesforce.
The WilmerHale investigation found that Altman’s dismissal was not the result of concerns related to OpenAI’s finances, product security or other issues.
“Instead, it was the result of a breakdown in the relationship and loss of trust between the previous board and Mr. Altman,” OpenAI said, describing the law firm’s findings.
“WilmerHale found that the previous board believed at the time that its actions would mitigate internal governance issues and did not anticipate that its actions would destabilize the company,” OpenAI said in a blog post.
“WilmerHale found that the previous board acted within its broad discretion to terminate Mr. Altman, but also found that his conduct did not warrant removal,” he added.
CONFLICT OF INTERESTS
OpenAI said it is adopting new corporate governance guidelines and creating a whistleblower hotline. The startup, whose CEO has been a prolific investor in other companies, also said it is strengthening its conflict of interest policy.
The board provided few details about these improvements.
The board’s lack of details for its surprise November decision fueled speculation about potential wrongdoing by Altman, which both he and the company have denied, and alleged existential risks from the technology OpenAI is building.
Altman’s return as CEO, about four days after his firing, came after nearly all of OpenAI’s employees threatened to walk out unless the board reinstated Altman and resigned.
His return led to discussions about how OpenAI would be governed, and the company announced a revamped board that did not include Altman and was led by Taylor.
