OpenAI Board Reappoints Altman and Adds Three Other Directors

As reported by The Information (paywalled), OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will return to the company's board along with three new directors. Reuters reports: The company has also concluded the investigation around Altman's November firing, the Information said, referring to the ouster that briefly threw the world's most prominent artificial intelligence company into chaos. Employees, investors and OpenAI's biggest financial backer, Microsoft had expressed shock over Altman's ouster, which was reversed within days. The company will also announce the appointment of three new directors, Sue Desmond-Hellmann, a former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Nicole Seligman, a former president of Sony Entertainment, and Fidji Simo, CEO of Instacart, the Information said. "I'm pleased this whole thing is over," Altman said. "We are excited and unanimous in our support for Sam and Greg [Brockman]," OpenAI chair and former Salesforce executive Bret Taylor told reporters. Taylor said they also adopted "a number of governance enhancements," such as a whistleblower hotline and a new mission and strategy committee on the board. "The mission has not changed, because it is more important than ever before," added Taylor. An independent investigation by the law firm WilmerHale determined that "the prior Board acted within its broad discretion to terminate Mr. Altman, but also found that his conduct did not mandate removal." The summary, provided by OpenAI, continued: "The prior Board believed at the time that its actions would mitigate internal management challenges and did not anticipate that its actions would destabilize the Company. The prior Board's decision did not arise out of concerns regarding product safety or security, the pace of development, OpenAI's finances, or its statements to investors, customers, or business partners. Instead, it was a consequence of a breakdown in the relationship and loss of trust between the prior Board and Mr. Altman."

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