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OpenAI board in discussions with Sam Altman to return as CEO

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

#681

Post by comfysocks »

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 this article represents a tactical press release from Sam’s camp. Company in “free fall” without Sam? It’s not even Monday yet.

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

#682

Post by chasd00 »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #673
chasd00 wrote: post #652

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.

> think Microsoft is behind all of this Wasn’t Ilya brought in by Musk?

I mean the desire to get Sam back and probably also fanning the flames of mass resignation to use as pressure.

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

#683

Post by knd775 »

corethree wrote: post #138
twoodfin wrote: post #46

This suggests a plausible explanation that Altman was attempting to engineer the board’s expansion or replacement: After the events of the last 48 hours, could you blame him? In this scenario, it was a pure power struggle. The board believed they’d win by showing Altman the door, but it didn’t take long to demonstrate that their actual power to do so was limited to the de jure end of the spectrum.

this is the most likely explanation. Altman was going to oust them, hence why they had to make what seems like a bad strategic move. The move seems bad from our perspective but it's actually the most logical strategy for the board in terms of self preservation. I agree. I think this is most likely what occurred.

How could he possibly oust them?

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

#684

Post by thefourthchime »

woeirua wrote: post #667
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

There is no scenario here where Sam returns and OpenAI survives as a nonprofit. The board will be sacked.

I agree. The pretense that OpenAI is still an open or a nonprofit has been a farce for a while now, it is an aggressively for-profit, trying to be the next Google company, and everybody knows it.

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

#685

Post by j45 »

BoorishBears wrote: post #581
minimaxir wrote: post #571

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mass resignations from whom, I wonder. Other researchers?

People who joined OpenAI because the organizations they left were stuck self-sabotaging the way OpenAI's board just did (for the same reasons the board did it)

It’s still common for people are people and triggered often by a list of common things like power, money, and fame.

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

#686

Post by adrr »

yosito wrote: post #570
crop_rotation wrote: post #60

The board seems truly incompetent here and looking at the member list it doesn't seem very surprising. A competent board should have asked for legal and professional advice before taking a drastic step like this. Instead the board thought it was a boxing match and tried to deliver a knockout punch before the market closes with blunt language. This might be the most incompetent board for an organisation of this size.

Maybe they asked ChatGPT for legal advice.

Maybe they and it didn't help them. Guardrails for chatgpt will prevent it from predicting outcomes, or providing any personalized advice. I asked it and just said to consult with counsel and have a succession plan.

>Predicting specific outcomes in a situation like the potential firing of a high-profile executive such as Sam Altman from OpenAI is quite complex and involves numerous variables. As an AI, I can't predict future events, but I can outline some possible considerations and general advice:

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

#687

Post by 1024core »

If Sam starts a competing company and can pull a large chunk of the researchers and engineers over (if I were an OpenAI employee, I would be interested in following a proven success story like Sam), then Microsoft's $10B investment would be down the drain. Obviously Microsoft wouldn't want that, and I'm sure Satya has got his hands around the nuts of the Board members and is squeezing them hard (well, figuratively speaking, since there's Toner).

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

#688

Post by cmdli »

jxi wrote: post #672
m3kw9 wrote: post #640

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the board is the ones that fired him, why would they resign if Sam isn't back?

Because they won't have a company to "run the board for" anymore if Sam doesn't come back (since so many people have threatened to resign).

They also won't have a company if they resign. Not much benefit to them here, is there?

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

#689

Post by adam_arthur »

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

Pretty incredible incompetence all around if true.

From the board for not anticipating a backlash and caving immediately... from Microsoft for investing into an endeavor that is purportedly chartered as non-profit and governed by nobodies who can sink it on a whim. And having 0 hard influence on the direction despite a large ownership stake

Why bother with a non-profit model that is surreptitiously for profit? The whole structure of OpenAI is largely a facade at this point.

Just form a new for profit company and be done with it. Altman's direction for profit is fine, but shouldn't have been pursued under the loose premise of a non profit.

While OpenAI leads currently, there are so many competitors that are within striking distance without the drama. Why keep the baggage?

It's pretty clear that the best engineering will decide the winners, not the popularity of the CEO. OpenAI has first mover advantage, and perhaps better talent, but not by an order of magnitude. There is no special sauce here.

Altman may be charismatic and well connected, but the hero worship put forward on here is really sad and misplaced.

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

#690

Post by berniedurfee »

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

Maybe much longer. The mass of infrastructure and data housed at OpenAI will be difficult to reproduce from scratch.

Especially considering OpenAI has boosted the value of the masses of data floating around the internet. Getting access to all that juicy data is going to come at a high cost for data hungry LLM manufacturers from here on out.

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