Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Hints at Sam Altman Joining OpenAI
The ongoing Sam Altman-OpenAI-Microsoft saga is becoming one of the most sensational stories in the tech industry. Just when it seemed like the situation had concluded with Altman and Greg Brockman joining Microsoft, Satya Nadella surprised everyone with a new twist. In recent interviews with CNBC and Bloomberg TV, the Microsoft CEO hinted that Altman might return to OpenAI, the organization he was previously removed from. Nadella’s statements only intensify the controversy that began with Ilya Sutskever expressing regret for the incident on X and the open letter from OpenAI staff threatening to resign en masse if Altman was not reinstated.
In an interview with CNBC, Nadella said, “Obviously, we want Sam and Greg to have a great home if they’re not going to be at OpenAI.” When asked if Altman and 700 OpenAI employees would join him at Microsoft, he added: “It’s for [OpenAI’s board and management and employees to choose … [Microsoft] decided to specifically partner with OpenAI [and] of course. it depends on whether the OpenAI people are there or come to Microsoft, so I’m open to both options.
Nadella also went over the topic of whether Microsoft is considering a seat on OpenAI’s board. In an interview with CNBC, he said, “It’s clear that something has to change around the administration. We’re having a good dialogue with their government about it and we’ll go through it as it develops.” Similarly, he said in an interview with Bloomberg TV, according to a report by The Verge, that Microsoft “definitely wants some management changes. This idea that changes are happening without being in the loop is not good.”
The saga of Sam Altman continues
Nadella’s uncertainty about whether or not to join Altman’s team is something many can relate to following a series of posts from the former OpenAI CEO that make it seem like he’s still representing the company he was ousted from.
He wrote to X: “We have more unity, commitment and focus than ever before. we’re all going to work together in one way or another and I’m so excited. one team, one mission.”
The post appears to be Altman referring to OpenAI employees and emphasizing that they are working together, but it is not clear if that is happening at OpenAI or at Microsoft.
A message made a couple of hours later only added to the confusion. “Satya and my top priority remains to ensure that openai continues to be successful. we are committed to providing full business continuity to our partners and customers. the openai/microsoft partnership makes this very possible”. This looks like it was said to still be a representative of OpenAI.
With Sutskever previously posting that he regretted the government’s actions and Altman reposting with heart emojis, the final twist to the story is not out of the question.
