OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO • Hacker News Board

Re: OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO

#651

Post by hskalin » Sun, Nov 19, 2023, 2:41 AM UTC

sigmar wrote: post #610

shmatt wrote: post #598

This makes no sense. People are calling what the board did a coup, but Altman is trying (failing?) to stage a coup. The board was Altmans boss - this is pretty much their only job. Altman knew this and most likely ignored any questions or concerns of theirs thinking he is the unfireable superstar Imagine if your boss fired you - and your response was - I’ll come back if you quit! Yeah, no. People might confuse status…

>People are calling what the board did a coup, but Altman is trying (failing?) to stage a coup. The board removed the board's chairman and fired the CEO. That's why it was called a coup. >The shareholders can fire the board, but that’s not what he’s asking for. And so far we haven’t heard anything about them getting fired nonprofits don't have shareholders (or shares).

So who governs the board? Or who "owns" the company?

Re: OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO

#652

Post by chasd00 » Sun, Nov 19, 2023, 2:41 AM UTC

I think Microsoft is behind all of this. The “kumbaya let’s work together for humanity” Microsoft has been swapped out for the old Microsoft. Too much is at stake for them.

Re: OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO

#653

Post by chrisfosterelli » Sun, Nov 19, 2023, 2:41 AM UTC

shmatt wrote: post #598

This makes no sense. People are calling what the board did a coup, but Altman is trying (failing?) to stage a coup. The board was Altmans boss - this is pretty much their only job. Altman knew this and most likely ignored any questions or concerns of theirs thinking he is the unfireable superstar Imagine if your boss fired you - and your response was - I’ll come back if you quit! Yeah, no. People might confuse status…

> But Altman is just another employee

Except he is not. He was a cofounder of the company and was on the board. Your metaphor doesn't make any sense -- this is like if your boss fired you but also you were part of your boss and your cofounder who is on your side was the chair of your boss.

Re: OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO

#654

Post by empath75 » Sun, Nov 19, 2023, 2:41 AM UTC

shmatt wrote: post #598

This makes no sense. People are calling what the board did a coup, but Altman is trying (failing?) to stage a coup. The board was Altmans boss - this is pretty much their only job. Altman knew this and most likely ignored any questions or concerns of theirs thinking he is the unfireable superstar Imagine if your boss fired you - and your response was - I’ll come back if you quit! Yeah, no. People might confuse status…

The nature of power relationships at this level is not strictly hierarchical and there's a vast wealth differential here, and Sam is a lot more powerful than any of the board members in many many ways. Everybody who has large amounts of money at stake in this enterprise is going to back Altman. The board has no one.

Re: OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO

#655

Post by pizzafeelsright » Sun, Nov 19, 2023, 2:41 AM UTC

adrr wrote: post #443

skygazer wrote: post #26

Man, the board already looked reckless and incompetent, but this solidifies the appearance. You can do crazy ill-advised things, but if you unwaveringly commit, we’ll always wonder if you’re secretly a genius. But when you immediately backtrack, we’ll know you were a fool all along.

If the board brings him back. They are done including the chief scientist. Can't stage a coup and just to bring the person back the next week

If you strike at the king, you must kill him.

I am always curious how these conversations go in corporate America. I've seen them in the street and with blue collar jobs.

Loads of feelings get hurt and people generally don't heal or forgive.

Re: OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO

#656

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Nov 19, 2023, 2:42 AM UTC

meetpateltech wrote: post #568

Update on the OpenAI drama: Altman and the board had till 5pm to reach a truce where the board would resign and he and Brockman would return. The deadline has passed and mass resignations expected if a deal isn’t reached ASAP https://twitter.com/alexeheath/status/1726055095341875545

[deleted]

Re: OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO

#657

Post by hughesjj » Sun, Nov 19, 2023, 2:43 AM UTC

shmatt wrote: post #598

This makes no sense. People are calling what the board did a coup, but Altman is trying (failing?) to stage a coup. The board was Altmans boss - this is pretty much their only job. Altman knew this and most likely ignored any questions or concerns of theirs thinking he is the unfireable superstar Imagine if your boss fired you - and your response was - I’ll come back if you quit! Yeah, no. People might confuse status…

> The board was Altmans boss - this is pretty much their only job.

Not at all. Ilya and George are on the board. Ilya is the chief scientist, George resigned with Sam and supposedly works like 80-100hrs a week

Re: OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO

#658

Post by empath75 » Sun, Nov 19, 2023, 2:43 AM UTC

minimaxir wrote: post #571

meetpateltech wrote: post #568

Update on the OpenAI drama: Altman and the board had till 5pm to reach a truce where the board would resign and he and Brockman would return. The deadline has passed and mass resignations expected if a deal isn’t reached ASAP https://twitter.com/alexeheath/status/1726055095341875545

Mass resignations from whom, I wonder. Other researchers?

If you're an engineer at open ai, you just saw probably millions of dollars of personal wealth get potentially evaporated on friday. You're going to quit and go wherever Altman goes next.

Re: OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO

#659

Post by unyttigfjelltol » Sun, Nov 19, 2023, 2:43 AM UTC

Workaccount2 wrote: post #630

shmatt wrote: post #598

This makes no sense. People are calling what the board did a coup, but Altman is trying (failing?) to stage a coup. The board was Altmans boss - this is pretty much their only job. Altman knew this and most likely ignored any questions or concerns of theirs thinking he is the unfireable superstar Imagine if your boss fired you - and your response was - I’ll come back if you quit! Yeah, no. People might confuse status…

I think the allure for Altman though would be that OpenAI already has all the pieces in place. Going off and starting his own thing would be great, but it would be at least a year to get product out, even if he had all the same players making it. And that's just to catch up to current tech

If only OpenAI open-sourced its models.....

Re: OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO

#660

Post by csharpminor » Sun, Nov 19, 2023, 2:45 AM UTC

This firing very much has the feeling of the board fearfully pulling the circuit breaker on OpenAI's for-profit trajectory.

On the one hand, I actually respect their principles. OpenAI has become the company its nonprofit was formed to prevent. Proprietary systems. Strong incentive to prioritize first-to-market over safety. Dependency on an entrenched tech co with monopolistic roots.

On the other hand, this really feels like it was done hastily and out of fear. Perhaps the board realized that they were about to be sidelined and felt like this was their last chance to act. I have to imagine that they knew there would be major backlash to their actions.

In the end, I think Sam creating his own company would be better for competition. It's more consistent with OpenAI's original charter to exist as the Mozilla (though hopefully more effective) of AI than as the Stripe of AI.