Quite a damning interview for Altman. It would have really helped their position if this was all stated in writing for the initial reason for dismissal instead of the ambiguous verbiage they decided to use at the time.
Ex-OpenAI board member reveals what led to Sam Altman's brief ousting
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Re: Ex-OpenAI board member reveals what led to Sam Altman's brief ousting
#202The whole saga is an interesting case study for theoretical versus real power. On paper the board has the power and it’s their job to monitor and hire/fire the execs. But they’re dependent on the execs for info. Also having one investor own half, plus the founders guiding the roadmap and having sway over key hires leaving is where the real power is…
They just folded. They were not the right people for the task. They would have prevailed with a bit more persistence and better PR.
Re: Ex-OpenAI board member reveals what led to Sam Altman's brief ousting
#203What is still bizarre is how the board brought him back. I just don't understand that from any angle. It is very clear that he lied and schemed. So why was there any issue? He had no power once fired. If another company wants to hire him, fine. If he wants to make platitudes on Twitter, who cares? Employees threatened to leave? Let them. I imagine many of them wouldn't, and if they did, you could just rehire and find…
You had the answer there before you dismissed it -- the board agreed to bring Sam Altman back before resigning because of massive pressure campaign that involved 90%+ of employees threatening to resign, and Microsoft (which has OpenAI's IP rights) offering to hire them all immediately. This included the company's key leadership. The organization was unraveling overnight. This was far past the tipping point of "a few…
They should have called their bluff.
Re: Ex-OpenAI board member reveals what led to Sam Altman's brief ousting
#204Earlier quoted context omitted.
The board should have been transparent about the dishonesty, especially around financial stakes, and I suspect the OpenAI employees and MSFT would have reacted differently.
The dishonesty regarding the ChatGPT release sounds like the best decision that Sam or anyone could have made in the history of the company. The ChatGPT release is what made the AI movement go mainstream. It is why OpenAI is worth ~80 billion dollars. By Gods am I glad that the board wasn't able to stop ChatGPT from being released.
> It is why OpenAI is worth ~80 billion dollars.
Worth to who?
Re: Ex-OpenAI board member reveals what led to Sam Altman's brief ousting
#205The whole saga is an interesting case study for theoretical versus real power. On paper the board has the power and it’s their job to monitor and hire/fire the execs. But they’re dependent on the execs for info. Also having one investor own half, plus the founders guiding the roadmap and having sway over key hires leaving is where the real power is…
From A Song of Ice and Fire:
``` Varys smiled. “Here, then. Power resides where men believe it resides. No more and no less.”
“So power is a mummer’s trick?”
“A shadow on the wall,” Varys murmured, “yet shadows can kill. And ofttimes a very small man can cast a very large shadow.” ```
Re: Ex-OpenAI board member reveals what led to Sam Altman's brief ousting
#206This account is quite believable. It follows a pattern of unethical behavior from Altman.
In his latest unethical binge, he illegally used Scarlett Johansson's voice and likeliness for the latest ChatGPT version with speech output. [1] His timed-announcement tweet, "Her", is quite self-incriminating. [2]
Remember: inductive logic is a valuable tool for discovering truth.
[1] https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/20/24161253/scarlett-johanss...
Re: Ex-OpenAI board member reveals what led to Sam Altman's brief ousting
#207I think there is a very good chance this is true, but it also paints the picture of the board being incompetent and incapable of confrontation. They could have filed formal complaints, mandated increased scrutiny, handed off Sam's responsibilities to other people, or threatened legal action. Instead, they attempted a secret coup, which of course makes Sam look like the underdog
I've seen the "coup" framing a lot I just don't see how that's justified. They're the board of directors! Hiring and firing the CEO is core to the job (as is maintaining mission alignment, in the nonprofit world).
It's very unusual to vote to fire a CEO without all members being present. Doing so made it seem like they were stabbing him in the back
Re: Ex-OpenAI board member reveals what led to Sam Altman's brief ousting
#208I mean at this point what sama has exposed himself pretty much aligns with what his 'enemies' say about him. Good job at presenting himself otherwise up until 6 months ago I guess.
He has done an impressive job over the past few months in interviews where he says lots of word with zero substance.
When executives are in broadcast mode, their delivery is tweaked for emotional impact on the listeners. They try to inspire, motivate and get their points across using concepts well understood by their audience.
If a leader’s speech is coming off as too corporate and hand-wavy, they have failed to read their audience and adapt their messaging to its level.
Re: Ex-OpenAI board member reveals what led to Sam Altman's brief ousting
#209I think there is a very good chance this is true, but it also paints the picture of the board being incompetent and incapable of confrontation. They could have filed formal complaints, mandated increased scrutiny, handed off Sam's responsibilities to other people, or threatened legal action. Instead, they attempted a secret coup, which of course makes Sam look like the underdog
I've seen the "coup" framing a lot I just don't see how that's justified. They're the board of directors! Hiring and firing the CEO is core to the job (as is maintaining mission alignment, in the nonprofit world).
I have witnessed at least one board that was made up of friends of the founder. A doe-eyed rubber stamp brigade. This was enough to fool some serious investors into parking their money there. Of course, they eventually realized what was going on and launched an all out offensive to affect change. (They didn't get anywhere despite owning 15%.) I know this because the investors published a website where they detailed the situation.
Re: Ex-OpenAI board member reveals what led to Sam Altman's brief ousting
#210Earlier quoted context omitted.
And if you realize there's no way to convince them that they are wrong? But it's a matter of survival of the entire universe?
>But it's a matter of survival of the entire universe? Surely you jest.
No, there's a group that truly believes that AI progress will inevitably end up creating an omnipotent God. And that if we're not careful enough, that newly created God will be evil.