Altman states the tech giant, holding a 49% stake and investing $13 billion, will have a non-voting, observer role on the board
Microsoft is set to hold a non-voting, observer role on OpenAI’s board, clarified Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, in his recent communication. In this capacity, Microsoft’s representative can attend board meetings and access confidential information but lacks voting rights on matters like director elections.
Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, who brought in Altman after his departure from OpenAI, had previously emphasized the necessity for governance changes at the ChatGPT creator. OpenAI recently revealed its revised initial board, with Bret Taylor, former Salesforce co-CEO, as the chair, and Larry Summers, former US treasury secretary. Adam D’Angelo, Quora’s CEO and a member of the board that terminated Altman, remains on the board as well.
On Wednesday, Taylor stated on Twitter that he planned to step back from overseeing OpenAI once transitional tasks had been completed. The newly formed OpenAI board is actively seeking additional members with expertise spanning technology, safety, and policy. Reuters sources indicate that OpenAI investors are unlikely to secure a position on the nonprofit board. Microsoft, holding a 49% ownership stake and committing over $10 billion to OpenAI, is yet to respond to comment requests. Mira Murati, the former CTO of OpenAI and interim CEO after Altman’s removal, has resumed her role as the company’s CTO. Altman’s abrupt removal on November 17th, without detailed explanation, triggered concerns among investors and employees, leading to his reinstatement four days later, accompanied by the promise of a new board. The episode raised questions about the future trajectory of the startup amid the artificial intelligence boom.
Greg Brockman, Altman’s co-founder, who had previously left the company with him, is set to return as president, according to Altman’s announcement on Wednesday. Altman emphasized the partnership with Brockman in running the company, acknowledging the challenge of accurately reflecting this on the organizational chart. However, he affirmed the intention to address this communication aspect. Notably, OpenAI’s chief scientist, Ilya Sutskever, will no longer be a part of the board, Altman revealed. Sutskever had initially been involved in the move to dismiss Altman but later joined employees in signing a letter advocating for Altman’s reinstatement, expressing remorse for his prior role in the board’s actions.
Altman expressed admiration and respect for Ilya, describing him as a guiding light in the field and a valuable individual. He emphasized having no ill will toward Sutskever and mentioned ongoing discussions within the company about how Sutskever could maintain his involvement with OpenAI. Besides Altman, Brockman, Sutskever, and D’Angelo, the prior OpenAI board included entrepreneur Tasha McCauley and Helen Toner, the director of strategy at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.