On Monday, hundreds of employees of OpenAI made threats to leave the industry-leading artificial intelligence startup and work for Microsoft, Africa Today News, New York reports.
They would follow Sam Altman, the co-founder of OpenAI, who announced that he was launching an artificial intelligence division at Microsoft after being abruptly fired from the business whose ChatGPT chatbot has spearheaded the exponential advancement of AI technology.
In a letter which was obtained by Africa Today News, New York on Tuesday, some of OpenAI’s most senior staff members threatened to leave the company if the board did not get replaced.
“Your actions have made it obvious that you are incapable of overseeing OpenAI,” said the letter, which was first released to Wired.
Included in the list of names of signers was Ilya Sutskever, the company’s chief scientist and one of members of the four-person board that voted to oust Altman.
It also included top executive Mira Murati, who was appointed to replace Altman as CEO when he was removed on Friday, but was herself demoted over the weekend.
“Microsoft has assured us that there are positions for all OpenAI employees at this new subsidiary should we choose to join,” the letter said.
Reports said as many as 500 of OpenAI’s 770 employees signed the letter.
OpenAI has appointed Emmett Shear, a former chief executive of Amazon’s streaming platform Twitch, as its new CEO despite pressure from Microsoft and other major investors to reinstate Altman.
The startup’s board sacked Altman on Friday, with US media citing concerns that he was underestimating the dangers of its tech and leading the company away from its stated mission — claims his successor has denied.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella wrote on X that Altman “will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team,” along with OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman and other colleagues.
Altman shot to fame with the launch of ChatGPT last year, which ignited a race to advance AI research and development, as well as billions being invested in the sector.
His sacking triggered several other high-profile departures from the company, as well as a reported push by investors to bring him back.
“We are going to build something new & it will be incredible. The mission continues,” Brockman said, tagging former director of research Jakub Pachocki, AI risk evaluation head Aleksander Madry, and longtime researcher Szymon Sidor.
But OpenAI stood by its decision in a memo sent to employees on Sunday night, saying “Sam’s behavior and lack of transparency… undermined the board’s ability to effectively supervise the company,” The New York Times reported.