Sam Altman, the co-founder and ex-CEO of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research company behind the popular chatbot ChatGPT, was sacked by the board of directors on November 17, 2023. The board declared that they had no trust in Altman’s leadership, citing his deception and secrecy in his communications with them.

Altman, who was also the former president of Y Combinator, a leading startup accelerator, had joined OpenAI in 2020 as its CEO. He had helped the company obtain more than $1 billion in funding from investors such as Microsoft, which also became its only cloud provider. Under his leadership, OpenAI had achieved remarkable milestones in artificial intelligence research and development, such as creating ChatGPT, a chatbot that can generate realistic and engaging conversations on any topic, and DALL·E, a system that can create images from text descriptions.

Altman had also expanded the scope and vision of OpenAI, launching new initiatives such as YC Research, a non-profit research lab that aims to tackle fundamental challenges in AI, and Worldcoin, a cryptocurrency project that uses iris-based biometrics to distribute universal basic income.

The man behind the ChatGPT had claimed that OpenAI’s value had skyrocketed from zero to $80 billion in just three years, making it one of the most valuable AI companies in the world.

However, Altman’s tenure at OpenAI was not without controversy and criticism. Some of the issues that plagued the company under his watch include:

• The ethical and social implications of ChatGPT, which was accused of being susceptible to generating harmful, biased, or misleading content, such as fake news, hate speech, or spam.
• The security and privacy risks of ChatGPT, which was reportedly blocked by Microsoft from its employees due to “security issues”. OpenAI also announced that it would stop taking new signups for ChatGPT Plus, a paid version of the chatbot that offers more features and customization.
• The transparency and accountability of OpenAI, which was criticized for being secretive about its research methods, data sources, and financial dealings. Some also questioned the company’s alignment with its original mission of creating and ensuring the safe and beneficial use of artificial intelligence for humanity.

OpenAI announced on its blog that Altman had stepped down as president after a “careful review process” by the board. The board said that Altman had “not been fully honest in his communications with the board, making it difficult for the board to fulfill its duties.

The board did not give any more details or examples of how Altman had breached their trust, but said that they had appointed Greg Brockman, the co-founder and former chief technology officer of OpenAI, as the new president of the company. Brockman will work with Brad Lightcap, the new chief operating officer, Mira Murati, the new chief technology officer, and Chris Clark, the new head of nonprofit and strategic initiatives.

Altman, who had been silent on social media since the announcement, finally broke his silence on X, formerly Twitter, on November 18, 2023. He said that "i loved my time at openai. it was transformative for me personally, and hopefully the world a little bit. most of all i loved working with such talented people."

"will have more to say about what’s next later."

Altman’s firing has sparked a lot of speculation and debate in the AI community and beyond, with some comparing it to the infamous ousting of Steve Jobs from Apple in 1985. Some have expressed their admiration and gratitude for Altman’s contributions and achievements, while others have expressed their disappointment and distrust in his actions and decisions.

The fate of OpenAI and its projects remains uncertain, as the new leadership team faces the challenge of restoring the confidence and reputation of the company, as well as advancing its ambitious and audacious goals.