NEW YORK - OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman will return to the ChatGPT maker’s board along with three new directors, the world’s most prominent artificial intelligence company said on March 8.
An investigation by law firm WilmerHale into the events surrounding the November firing of Mr Altman also has concluded, and the company has created new governance rules and strengthened its conflict of interest policy. The board said it unanimously backed his leadership.
Employees, investors and OpenAI’s biggest financial backer, Microsoft, had expressed shock over Mr Altman’s ouster, which was reversed within days.
The company on March 8 said it was appointing new directors including Mr Altman, former Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation chief executive officer Sue Desmond-Hellmann, former Sony Entertainment president Nicole Seligman and Instacart CEO Fidji Simo.
Mr Altman welcomed the new board members in a post on X, adding: “We have important work in front of us.”
They will join current board members Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, former US Treasury secretary Larry Summers and chairman Bret Taylor, former co-CEO of Salesforce.
The investigation by WilmerHale found that Mr Altman’s dismissal was not the result of concerns related to OpenAI’s finances, product safety or other issues.
“Instead it was a consequence of a breakdown in the relationship and loss of trust between the prior Board and Mr Altman,” OpenAI said, describing the law firm’s findings.
“WilmerHale found that the prior Board believed at the time that its actions would mitigate internal management challenges and did not anticipate that its actions would destabilizse the Company,” OpenAI said in a blog post.
“WilmerHale found that the prior Board acted within its broad discretion to terminate Mr Altman, but also found that his conduct did not mandate removal,” it added.
Conflict of interest
OpenAI said it was adopting new corporate governance guidelines and creating a whistleblower hotline. The start-up, whose CEO has been a prolific investor in other companies, also said it was strengthening its conflict of interest policy.
The board gave few details about those improvements.
The board’s lack of detail for its surprise November decision fuelled speculation about potential misconduct by Mr Altman, which he and the company have denied, and about supposed existential risks from the technology that OpenAI is building.
Mr Altman’s return as CEO about four days after his firing came after nearly all of OpenAI’s employees threatened to depart unless the board restored Mr Altman and resigned.
His return led to discussions about how OpenAI would be governed, and the company announced a reconstituted board that did not include Mr Altman and was helmed by Mr Taylor. REUTERS
