More than 500 employees of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, have threatened to resign following the removal of CEO Sam Altman, according to the Financial Times.
In an open letter, the staff criticised the board's competence and expressed a willingness to join Altman at a new Microsoft subsidiary. This revolt included co-founder Ilya Sutskever, who played a role in Altman's dismissal, the FT said.
Microsoft recently hired Altman and another co-founder, Greg Brockman, to lead an advanced AI research team. This move came shortly after their departure from OpenAI. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has expressed eagerness to support their new endeavor.
The letter from OpenAI's employees demands the resignation of the current board members, proposing replacements like former Salesforce chief Bret Taylor and ex-OpenAI board member Will Hurd. It also calls for the reinstatement of Altman and Brockman.
The reasons behind Altman's firing are not entirely clear, but concerns about his commitment to OpenAI's mission were cited. In response to the turmoil, Emmett Shear, co-founder of Twitch, was named interim CEO of OpenAI.
Microsoft, a significant investor in OpenAI, remains committed to its partnership despite these developments. The situation highlights Microsoft's growing role in AI development and the potential impact on the industry.