Microsoft has been approached by a large number of OpenAI employees who are considering leaving the company in response to the dismissal of co-founder Sam Altman. The employees have expressed interest in joining Microsoft if the board of directors does not resign. This comes after senior officials at OpenAI, including Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever and top executive Mira Murati, criticized the board’s decision to remove Altman from his position.
Over 500 workers support the sentiment expressed in a letter signed by a total of 770 OpenAI staff members. Microsoft has assured these employees that there are positions for all OpenAI employees in their new subsidiary if they decide to join. Despite pressure from Microsoft and other investors, OpenAI has appointed a new CEO, Emmett Shear, to replace Altman.
OpenAI has stood by its decision about Altman, citing his behavior and lack of transparency as reasons for his removal. However, Shear denied reports that Altman had been fired over security concerns related to the use of AI technology.
Microsoft has invested over $10 billion in OpenAI and has implemented the technology developed by the startup in its own products. The company remains committed to its partnership with OpenAI and is confident in its product roadmap. Generative AI platforms like ChatGPT are powered by large amounts of data, allowing them to answer questions in human-like language and generate and manipulate images or create sounds and expressions.