The high-tech industry has been thrown into turmoil in recent days following the impeachment case of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Reports suggest that the disagreement over commercializing new AI technologies led to his removal from the board of directors at the artificial intelligence company that created ChatGPT.
In response, Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, announced that Altman and Greg Brockman would join Microsoft to lead a new advanced research team in AI. Meanwhile, Emmett Shir was appointed as interim CEO of OpenAI until a permanent CEO is found.
The news of Altman’s ouster had an immediate impact on Microsoft’s stock, causing a 1.7% decline. However, after Nadella’s announcement on Twitter, Microsoft shares rose 1.5% in opening trade.
According to stock analysts, Microsoft’s move to recruit Altman was seen as a strategy to prevent him from establishing a competing start-up working for a competitor like Google or Amazon and risking Microsoft’s leadership in AI and cloud technology. The decision was viewed as damage control by the technology giant and could impact its commercial relationships with other companies.
Despite the controversy surrounding his ouster, Altman’s new role at Microsoft is seen as strategically important for the company and its future in AI. However, concerns have been raised about OpenAI’s unusual corporate structure where investors did not have seats on the board of directors, which may prevent similar coups from happening in future investments.
Overall, the events surrounding OpenAI and Sam Altman have highlighted the need for more transparency and accountability in corporate decision-making within high-tech companies.