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Why Sam Altman was booted from OpenAI, according to new testimony

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Re: Why Sam Altman was booted from OpenAI, according to new testimony

#11
post #5

I don't think Sam Altman should have been fired even after reading this. It's definitely bad behavior but I was expecting something more significant. The consequences don't match the crime.

“All four of us who fired him came to the conclusion that we just couldn’t believe things that Sam was telling us, and that’s just a completely unworkable place to be in as a board — especially a board that is supposed to be providing independent oversight over the company, not just helping the CEO to raise more money.” I think I have to disagree here because they talk about loss of trust. Loss of trust is enough whe…

> especially a board that is supposed to be providing independent oversight over the company

This is an important point. OpenAI is a nonprofit who's stated mission is to ensure that AI benefits all of humanity. Overseeing the business entity that exists under it's umbrella, and ensuring that the actions it takes are in accordance with that mission, is THE critical component of the boards job. This structure is very weird for a non-profit, and the stakes here are existential.

If you cannot trust the CEO of the company to not deceive and manipulate you, you absolutely cannot have confidence that the companies actions will conform to their mission.

Altman is a sociopath and they should have never caved to his political machinations

Re: Why Sam Altman was booted from OpenAI, according to new testimony

#12

I don't think Sam Altman should have been fired even after reading this. It's definitely bad behavior but I was expecting something more significant. The consequences don't match the crime.

Both sides were nerds playing office politics, as badly as nerds generally do.

Re: Why Sam Altman was booted from OpenAI, according to new testimony

#13

I don't think Sam Altman should have been fired even after reading this. It's definitely bad behavior but I was expecting something more significant. The consequences don't match the crime.

The dude is clearly a slippery snake. What's not clear is what special sauce he brings, beyond being a slippery snake, that someone else couldn't bring.

He finagled a few billion dollars out of Microsoft. I'd bet that Microsoft had a word with the coup plotters, and that's why Sam Altman got his job back.
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