In addition to Altman, three more board members were announced: Sue Desmond-Hellmann, former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Nicole Seligman, a former legal executive at Sony; and Fidji Simo, the CEO of Instacart. The investigation summary was light on details about Altman's sudden firing last fall, but it was clarified that it was not due to concerns about product safety, security, pace of development, finances, or statements to investors, customers, or business partners. OpenAI plans to strengthen its conflict of interest policy and create a whistleblower hotline for employees and contractors.
Key takeaways:
- An independent investigation commissioned by OpenAI’s nonprofit board has found that CEO Sam Altman’s conduct did not warrant his removal.
- Altman will rejoin the board, and three new board members have been announced: Sue Desmond-Hellmann, Nicole Seligman, and Fidji Simo.
- The investigation found that Altman's sudden firing was due to a breakdown in the relationship and loss of trust between the prior Board and Mr. Altman, not due to concerns regarding product safety, security, pace of development, finances, or statements to investors, customers, or business partners.
- OpenAI plans to strengthen its conflict of interest policy and create a whistleblower hotline for employees and contractors.