What Sam Altman’s firing and rehiring sheds light on OpenAI

In OpenAI‘s tumultuous power struggle, Sam Altman was reinstated as CEO after being fired for being dishonest and not being open. Former board member Helen Toner illuminates the chaos by disclosing instances where Altman allegedly lied about business decisions and safety measures.

You may remember that in November, OpenAI’s board fired Sam Altman, who was co-founder and CEO of the company. Following this, a complex power struggle ensued, leading to Altman’s reinstatement as CEO and the removal of most board members who had opposed his firing.

Since then, numerous news stories have detailed the behind-the-scenes activities, yet it remains unclear why the board members felt compelled to make such a significant decision initially.

People on the board only said in public that Altman had not been “consistently candid in his communications with the board” and that they no longer trusted him to run the business.

Unveiling the Truth Behind OpenAI’s Decisions

That’s why people who read that outside of OpenAI probably asked, “What does that mean?” Helen Toner, an AI researcher who used to be on that board, has spoken to the Ted AI podcast about her side of the story.

She told the board that Altman was “outright lying.” For example, she says the board didn’t know about the launch of ChatGPT ahead of time and instead found out from Twitter.

Toner also stated that Altman lied to the board about the safety measures the company had in place. She also said Altman didn’t say that he owned the OpenAI Startup Fund. Play to find out more, and then tell us what you think!