Heaptalk, Jakarta — OpenAI’s board of directors acts as the overall governing body for this company that launched artificial intelligence (AI) technology, ChatGPT, announced that Sam Altman will depart as the company’s CEO and leave the board of directors. Following this announcement, OpenAI’s CTO, Mira Murati, will occupy the position of interim CEO effective immediately.
According to the management, the departure of Sam Altman has been reviewed deliberatively by the board, concluding that he needs more consistency in his communication with the board of directors, hindering his ability to perform his responsibilities in the company. As an effect, the management needs to amplify their confidence in their ability to continue leading OpenAI.
The Board of Directors of OpenAI delivered in the written statement, “OpenAI was deliberately structured to advance our mission in ensuring that AI benefits all humanity. The board remains fully committed to achieving this goal. We are grateful for Sam’s numerous contributions to the founding and enhancement of the company. For this reason, we believe new leadership is necessary as we move forward.”
Determining to appoint Mira as an interim CEO, the management perceived that Mira was exceptionally qualified to step into this position. OpenAI’s board claimed she has played a critical role in the company’s evolution into a global AI leader. Given her long tenure and close engagement with all the elements of the company, including AI governance and policy, the board believes she is uniquely qualified for her role and anticipates a seamless transition while the team conducts a formal search for a permanent CEO.
As information, OpenAI was founded as a non-profit with the core mission of ensuring that artificial intelligence (AI) benefits all of humanity. Sam Alman founded this AI developer company with Greg Brockman, Elon Musk, Jessica Livingston, Peter Thiel, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Infosys, and Research in 2015. As a part of this transition, Greg Brockman will be stepping down as chairman of the board and will remain in his role at the company, reporting to the CEO.
In 2019, OpenAI restructured to raise capital to pursue this mission while preserving the nonprofit’s mission, governance, and oversight. In November 2022, OpenAI launched an AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT, and possessed 100 million monthly users two months after the official launch. While the company has experienced dramatic growth, the board will continue to strengthen the fundamental governance responsibility of the board to advance the company’s goal.
Responding to this announcement, Sam Altman only conveyed his comment on his social media account Twitter (X), “I love my time at OpenAI. It was transformative for me and, hopefully, the world. Most of all, I loved working with such talented people. Will have more to stay about what’s next later.”
