Sam Altman’s Return to AI: Could He Launch a New Venture?

According to a source familiar with the situation, Sam Altman, who was recently removed as CEO of OpenAI, is in talks about rejoining the company responsible for the ChatGPT bot. Simultaneously, Altman is contemplating the launch of a fresh artificial intelligence (AI) venture.

A day after the board fired him in a surprise move that shocked the tech world, Altman spoke with OpenAI executives about improving the company’s governance structure while talking to some of OpenAI’s core researchers and other Altman loyalists about how they could start a new AI company. , the person said.

Chances of a return or reboot for Altman, who many consider the face of generative artificial intelligence, are changing, said the source, who asked not to be named because the source was not authorized to speak for the parties.

OpenAI and Altman did not respond to requests for comment.

OpenAI’s investors, including its biggest backer Microsoft, are discussing damage control, including possible pressure on the board to reinstate Altman as CEO, fearing a talent exodus without him, other sources said.

Khosla Ventures, an early backer of OpenAI, wants Altman back at OpenAI but will “support him in whatever he does next,” the fund’s founder Vinod Khosla posted in X on Saturday.

Microsoft declined to comment. It reportedly owns 49 percent of the company, while other investors and employees control 49 percent, and OpenAI’s nonprofit parent owns 2 percent.

Emotions ran high Saturday as current and former employees were angry about Altman’s firing and worried about how the sudden management shakeup could affect the upcoming $86 billion stock sale.

OpenAI, a non-profit founded by billionaire Elon Musk, launched ChatGPT on November 30 last year, creating a global sensation for its generative AI technology, which quickly became the world’s fastest growing software application. It started a wave of investment and announcements in different industries so that artificial intelligence can be used to improve everything from financial services and healthcare to entertainment and media.

Trained on data, generative AI can create human-like content, helping users write theses, complete science homework, and even write entire novels. After ChatGPT’s launch, regulators scrambled to catch up: the European Union revised its AI law and the United States launched AI regulatory efforts.

One source said as of Saturday that some shell-shocked employees were considering firing if Altman was not fixed by the end of the weekend. Others expressed support for Altman joining the company, a third person familiar with the matter said.

Former OpenAI President Greg Brockman, who announced his resignation from OpenAI following Altman’s firing on Friday, is expected to join any effort, according to Information, which previously reported on the potential new venture, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Brockman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment.

Some OpenAI researchers, including Szymon Sidor, have left the company amid the CEO change, but it was unclear whether Sidor and others would join the new Altman venture, two people familiar with the matter said. Sidor confirmed his resignation.

Altman and former Apple design chief Jony Ive have discussed building new artificial intelligence hardware, Information reported in September. It said that SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son had been involved in the discussion.

Altman’s ouster was due to a “breakdown in communication,” not “misconduct,” Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap wrote in an internal company memo on Saturday seen by Reuters.

Tech site The Verge previously reported on OpenAI’s board of directors’ discussions with Altman returning as CEO. Forbes reported on Saturday that investors were plotting to reinstate Altman as CEO.