Sam Altman to not return as OpenAI CEO- The Information

Investing.com--Sam Altman will no longer return as CEO of OpenAI despite executive efforts to rehire him, The Information reported on Monday citing an internal address by co-founder and board director Ilya Sutskever.

The artificial intelligence firm will instead hire streaming site Twitch co-founder Emmett Shear, as interim CEO, according to the report.

The report comes just shortly after other media reports said that OpenAI interim CEO, Mira Murati, intended to rehire Altman, as well as ex-President Greg Brockman.

Altman was seen meeting with OpenAI’s board over the weekend, after he was unexpectedly ousted as the firm’s CEO on Friday. Murati replaced Altman on an interim capacity, with the board seeking new leadership.

Altman had also posted a picture of himself wearing an OpenAI visitors badge on the social media network X, stating that it would be the “first and last time” he would wear the badge. 

Reuters had earlier reported that Altman was considering a potential return to OpenAI after his abrupt exit, and was also considering the launch of his own artificial intelligence venture. 

His ouster had come as a shock to current and former employees at the AI giant, with former president and co-founder Brockman having announced his departure from the company shortly after Altman’s exit.

Other employees had also expressed sympathy and outrage over the unexpected move, which could potentially trigger a mass exodus of talent from OpenAI.

Reports from The Information said that major OpenAI backer Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) was considering taking a role on the board if Altman returned. OpenAI investors were also fearful that Altman's exit could jeopardize an upcoming share sale.

Altman’s ouster also came as a shock to the tech industry, given that many have come to recognize him as the human face of the generative AI boom. His abrupt firing came just weeks after what was seen as a fairly successful developers conference for OpenAI, where Altman unveiled new updates for its flagship ChatGPT tool. 

OpenAI had even suspended new subscriptions for its ChatGPT Plus subscription service, citing overheated demand in the wake of the DevDay conference. 

OpenAI’s board said that Altman had not been “candid” in his communication with the board, which was one of the reasons behind his ouster.