"AI Development Too Fast" Oltman Ousted... Future Moves: 'Return to OpenAI and Startup'

OpenAI CEO Abruptly Fired
Clash with Board Over AI Business Monetization
Calls for Reversal Within a Day

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI and known as the 'father of ChatGPT,' is being discussed for reinstatement by investors, executives, and the board just one day after his sudden dismissal. While there are various speculations about the reasons behind Altman's removal, the decisive cause is believed to be the board's backlash against his aggressive AI commercialization efforts, which raised concerns about AI risks. This surprise ousting of Altman is even analyzed as a dramatic manifestation of the conflict over AI development. As OpenAI faces strong backlash following Altman's removal, market attention is focused on whether Altman will return to his original company or establish a new firm to accelerate AI development.

According to U.S. media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Bloomberg on the 19th (local time), Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft (MS), has been discussing Altman's return with OpenAI investors, the board, and executives since the previous day. MS, the largest shareholder of OpenAI, and Strive Capital, the second-largest shareholder, strongly advocate for Altman's reinstatement. As a result, the board that abruptly dismissed Altman on the 17th is now facing intense pressure to reverse the decision just one day after the CEO's removal. OpenAI executives, including Mira Murati, the interim CEO and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), have also sided with Altman.

The board has not disclosed the exact reasons for Altman's dismissal. However, it is reported that there were constant clashes between Altman and the board over the pace of AI development and commercialization. Since its founding as a nonprofit organization in 2015, Altman has driven the company to transition into a successful business model. The launch of ChatGPT in November last year sparked a global AI boom, and Altman secured massive investments from MS totaling $13 billion. He was also the key figure in raising OpenAI's corporate value to $86 billion.

However, the board was concerned that Altman's ambition to accelerate AI development and commercialization could lead to AI-related risks. Additionally, it is reported that conflicts with the board intensified as Altman independently moved to establish an AI semiconductor startup to compete with Nvidia before his dismissal. Foreign media have pointed out that Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's co-founder and chief scientist, who opposed Altman, was the leading figure behind this ousting.

OpenAI's unique governance structure also played a role in Altman's dismissal. After being established as a nonprofit, OpenAI received investments from MS and others to create a business division. However, investors in the business division only have profit-sharing rights, while all major decision-making powers, including CEO dismissal, rest with the parent nonprofit. Although Altman led OpenAI to its current status by securing large-scale investments from MS, WSJ analyzed that this unique governance structure made it impossible for him to avoid being ousted. Axios reported, "Altman showed significant differences with the board during the process of securing billions of dollars in funding for AI language model development and systematically promoting AI popularization and commercialization."

The market is closely watching the future moves of OpenAI and Altman. On Sunday, Altman met with executives at OpenAI's San Francisco headquarters to discuss his return. Greg Brockman, who left the company after Altman's dismissal, was also present. Altman posted a photo on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) showing him wearing an external visitor badge issued to guests inside the company, writing, "Wearing this for the first and last time." It is reported that he has set the dismissal of the current board that removed him and restructuring the unique governance system as conditions for his return. Given the strong backlash from investors, executives, and employees immediately after Altman's dismissal, it seems difficult for OpenAI to rigidly maintain its previous stance. If Altman returns, the board that had previously restrained him is expected to be replaced abruptly, accelerating AI product development, large-scale hiring, and commercialization efforts.

There is also a possibility that Altman's 'comeback' may fail. Altman is considering establishing a new company with employees, including Brockman, who left the company. According to Bloomberg, Altman has been preparing to launch a startup that can produce semiconductors specialized for large-scale AI tasks at a lower cost than Nvidia. Earlier reports also mentioned that Altman was discussing new AI device development with Jony Ive, Apple's former product designer. Since MS and Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds are reportedly interested in investing in Altman's new company, significant AI investments are expected even if he starts a new firm.

This case of Altman's dismissal from OpenAI raises fundamental questions about AI development. It can be seen as a clear expression of the debate over whether AI will be beneficial or threatening to humanity. The Washington Post (WP) stated, "The split between Altman and (board member) Sutskever reflects a larger fracture in the advanced AI world," and diagnosed, "The competition to dominate the market inevitably accompanies a quasi-religious movement to prevent AI from surpassing human control."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.