The incident had raised questions about the future of OpenAI, one of the tech industry’s most influential start-ups, and its readiness to lead the tech industry's focus on artificial intelligence. The company's board expressed their full confidence in Altman and company president Greg Brockman, who had resigned in protest after Altman's removal. The report from the investigation was not released, but it was revealed that it found the board had the discretion to terminate Altman, but his conduct did not require removal.
Key takeaways:
- Sam Altman, who was briefly pushed out of OpenAI in November, has been reinstated as chief executive and will regain his seat on the company’s board of directors.
- OpenAI stated that Mr. Altman did not do anything that justified his removal from the company.
- Two members who voted for his removal agreed to step down and their replacements oversaw the investigation by the law firm, WilmerHale.
- The law firm’s report found that OpenAI’s board acted within its broad discretion to terminate Mr. Altman, but also found that his conduct did not mandate removal.