Amid Altman Return Talks, OpenAI Prepares New Services... MS Organizes Office

"Altman Negotiating... Aiming for Reunification"
OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Voice Service
MS Renovates Subsidiary LinkedIn Offices

The board of directors of OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, is currently negotiating the return of former CEO Sam Altman, who was dismissed four days ago, while OpenAI employees continued their regular work, including launching new services, on the 21st (local time) as they awaited the negotiation results. Microsoft (MS) has begun preparations anticipating that many OpenAI employees will move over.

Sam Altman, former CEO of OpenAI
[Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

According to Bloomberg News and IT media outlet The Verge, OpenAI announced a free version of ChatGPT's voice feature on the same day. This feature allows users to have voice conversations with ChatGPT using headphones and has been integrated into the mobile application (app). The feature, which was previously available only to paid users since September, has now been expanded to a free service.

This new service launch by OpenAI came amid the chaos following the board's CEO dismissal incident that began on the 17th. Although the two sides declared a breakdown in negotiations on the 19th and announced Altman's move to MS, investors intervened, reopening the negotiation channels.

Altman and Adam D'Angelo, one of OpenAI's board members, are negotiating, and it is reported that a plan for Altman to return as a director of the transitional board is under discussion. Anna Makanju, OpenAI's Global Head of Operations, stated in a memo to employees, "The top priority is to 'reunify' OpenAI, and discussions are actively underway," adding that Altman, the board, and interim CEO Emmett Shear are cooperating. The market is currently focused on whether the negotiation results can be reached before the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday on the 23rd.

OpenAI employees are closely monitoring the negotiation outcomes. On the previous day, over 700 OpenAI employees, accounting for more than 90% of the workforce, issued a strong warning to the board demanding Altman's reinstatement, threatening mass resignation and moving to MS if their demand was not met. Essentially, they made it clear that without Altman's return, OpenAI would inevitably face dissolution. Following the collective resignation threat, companies like Google and Salesforce extended offers to these employees, but some have expressed their intention to stay with Altman and are currently on standby.

Peter Deng, OpenAI's Vice President of Product, sent a message to employees on the day, encouraging them to focus on work despite the confusion. He emphasized, "Let's get back to product delivery time," and said, "The best way to channel our energy is to develop AI products." With many employees not coming to the office ahead of Thanksgiving on the 23rd, he also suggested that employees order pizza, charge the cost to the company, and share photos holding the pizza as proof.

Comments on the post about the launch of the voice service uploaded by OpenAI on its X account (Photo by OpenAI, screenshot of X post)

On the day of the voice service announcement, OpenAI's posts on X (formerly Twitter) were met with humorous comments. One post featured a drawing of an animal shouting "It's okay" inside a burning store, accompanied by the caption, "OpenAI's social media manager is posting amidst the chaos." Another post showed a photo of a long line with a caption stating that OpenAI employees are lining up to join MS.

Having already succeeded in recruiting Altman, MS has begun preparing to welcome OpenAI employees by promising "the same compensation as OpenAI." Kevin Scott, MS Chief Technology Officer (CTO), posted on his X account a message starting with "To my partners at OpenAI." Scott said, "We have seen your petitions and appreciate your enthusiasm to potentially join Sam Altman at MS's new AI research lab," adding, "If needed, know that you will have roles at MS that match your compensation and advance our shared mission."

MS has already started preparing office space to accommodate them. According to Axios and others, MS began refurbishing the LinkedIn office near OpenAI's San Francisco headquarters on the same day. They are creating a space ready for immediate work and have pre-secured Apple MacBooks. The HR and legal teams are also preparing to ensure smooth hiring and onboarding processes.

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