Source: Axios by Ina Fried, Kia Kokalitcheva
OpenAI’s board has hired Twitch co-founder Emmett Shear as its interim CEO, a source familiar with the matter told Axios.
Why it matters: The move gives the ChatGPT maker its third CEO in three days and means that ousted former CEO Sam Altman, who’d been in weekend-long talks with the board, will not be returning. Instead, the pair are heading to Microsoft to lead a new research unit.
- The Information earlier reported the appointment, saying that OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever — who led the board revolt Friday that toppled Altman — delivered the news to the company Sunday night after a long weekend of rumor and uncertainty.
The big picture: Altman’s sudden firing stunned the tech industry, as he had become the face of the current boom in AI during OpenAI’s ascent following the success of ChatGPT.
What he’s saying: “Today I got a call inviting me to consider a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: to become the interim CEO of @OpenAI,” Shear posted on X later in the evening. “Ultimately I felt that I had a duty to help if I could.”
- Read his full post, including his 30-day plan as CEO, at the bottom.
Catch up quick: On Friday afternoon, OpenAI announced that Altman would be leaving the company after its board concluded that he had not been “consistently candid in his communications.”
- President Greg Brockman soon after resigned, with several senior researchers leaving later that day.
Read full article: https://www.axios.com/2023/11/20/sam-altman-openai-board-emmet-shear
