The future of OpenAI hangs in the balance as the board opens negotiations to bring back its ousted co-founder Sam Altman.
Talks kicked off late last night after 747 of its 770 employees – 97 per cent – threatened to quit unless he is reinstated as chief executive.
In a letter, OpenAI staff also call for the four-man board to step down, questioning their competence and accusing them of undermining the firm’s work.
They state that OpenAI’s biggest investor Microsoft, who has hired Altman, has said there are jobs for all OpenAI staff if they want to follow him.
Rebellion: Some 747 of OpenAI 770 employees are threatening to quit unless co-founder Sam Altman (pictured) is reinstated as chief executive and the board step down
Altman was dramatically fired by the board last Friday – sending shockwaves through the industry and sparking immediate backlash from staff and shareholders.
This included Microsoft who first invested in the group in 2019 and owns around 49 per cent of the company.
Greg Brockman, co-founder and president of OpenAI, announced on Saturday he was quitting following Altman’s exit.
And following a tumultuous weekend where the board attempted to reinstall Altman, Microsoft revealed on Monday morning that it had recruited both Altman and Brockman to its new ‘advanced AI research’ unit.
The OpenAI board are now considering whether to bring Altman back as a director on a transitional board, according to reports from Bloomberg.
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