OpenAI restores Sam Altman as CEO after his tumultuous ouster

OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company behind the popular ChatGPT service, is in a state of crisis after its board of directors fired its co-founder and CEO Sam Altman last week.

The move has triggered a backlash from investors, employees, and customers, who are questioning the future of the company and its products.

Investors seek legal action against the board

Some investors in OpenAI, who have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the company, are exploring legal recourse against the board, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday.

They are working with legal advisers to study their options, which could include suing OpenAI for breach of contract or fiduciary duty.

The investors are worried that they could lose their investment and the potential returns from the hottest startup in the generative AI sector, which is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years.

Employees demand board resignation and Altman’s return

Meanwhile, hundreds of OpenAI employees have signed a petition calling for the board to resign and for Altman to be reinstated as CEO. They have also threatened to quit or go on strike if their demands are not met, Mirror reported.

The employees say they have lost trust and confidence in the board, which they accuse of acting in a secretive and arbitrary manner. They also say they are loyal to Altman, who they regard as a visionary leader and a pioneer in the AI field.

Customers face service outage and uncertainty

The turmoil at OpenAI has also affected its customers, who rely on its ChatGPT service for various applications, such as chatbots, content generation, and education. T

The service has experienced a major outage since Monday, with hundreds of online users reporting problems accessing the service. OpenAI has not provided any explanation or timeline for restoring the service, leaving its customers frustrated and anxious. Some customers have also expressed concerns about the quality and security of the service, as well as the ethical and social implications of using OpenAI’s products.

Microsoft offers Altman a new role but awaits OpenAI’s decision

One of the few parties that seems to support the board’s decision is Microsoft, which is the main investor and partner of OpenAI. Microsoft has invested $2 billion in OpenAI and committed up to $10 billion more, but does not have a seat on the board. Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella has offered Altman a new role to lead a new AI research team at Microsoft, but he said that the final decision is up to OpenAI’s board and management. Nadella also said that the governance at OpenAI “has to change” to ensure transparency and accountability.

Anthropic declines merger offer and CEO role

Another company that has been involved in the drama is Anthropic, a rival AI startup founded by former OpenAI executive Dario Amodei. According to Verdict, OpenAI’s board approached Amodei about merging the two companies and replacing Altman as CEO, but Amodei declined both offers.

Anthropic is also working on generative AI, but with a focus on safety and alignment with human values.

Elon Musk agrees with OpenAI’s firing of Altman

The only person who seems to agree with OpenAI’s firing of Altman is Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and co-founder of OpenAI. Musk has severed his ties with OpenAI and has criticized its direction and partnership with Microsoft.

Musk has also voiced his concerns about the dangers of AI and the possibility of creating a doomsday product that harms humanity. Musk has not commented on the current situation at OpenAI, but he has previously expressed his support for Anthropic and its mission.