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https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/18/23967199/breaking-openai-board-in-discussions-with-sam-altman-to-return-as-ceo https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/18/23967199/

by awb 3y ago

https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/18/23967199/breaking-openai-board-in-discussions-with-sam-altman-to-return-as-ceo https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/18/23967199/breaking-openai... > Update, 5:35PM PT: A source close to Altman says the board had agreed in principle to resign and to allow Altman and Brockman to return, but has since waffled — missing a key 5PM PT deadline by which many OpenAI staffers were set to resign. If Altman decides to leave and start a new company, those staffers would assuredly go with him. > Altman holding talks with the company just a day after he was ousted indicates that OpenAI is in a state of free-fall without him. Hours after he was axed, Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s president and former board chairman, resigned, and the two have been talking to friends and investors about starting another company. A string of senior researchers also resigned on Friday, and people close to OpenAI say more departures are in the works. Maybe a deal actually went through? Or he’s referring to the resignations?

yumraj 3y ago
It sounds more like FUD being spread by Sam camp. I just don’t see a reason as to why the board would resign. But, what do I, or anyone except the people involved, know. OTOH, the tweet sounds/read weird. Is he trying to recruit folks for his next venture.
- bmitc 3y ago
  Agreed. The board resigning after all this would seem pointless if not completely bewildering. Why would they do that after removing him? The board has no financial interest in the company, so what power does Altman have? Also, I see this Tweet by Altman: > if i start going off, the openai board should go after me for the full value of my shares What does that mean?
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
- mullingitover 3y ago
  > I just don’t see a reason as to why the board would resign The golden rule. The people with the gold make the rules, and Microsoft has poured mountains of capital into the company. For their board to make an extremely consequential move like they did without consulting their benefactors was the height of hubris. Merely being forced to resign would be merciful, I half expect Satya to find some way to have them thrown in prison.
  - yumraj 3y ago
    > Merely being forced to resign would be merciful, I half expect Satya to find some way to have them thrown in prison. Prison? For what??
    - mullingitover 3y ago
      I'm mostly being facetious, but if you have an unlimited budget to throw into a legal war chest for the purpose of making someone's life miserable, you can make someone's life miserable.
gkoberger 3y ago
No, he's just publicly making it clear how much support he has internally. (And to be fair, I do believe that's how he feels, of course – he's probably appreciative of everyone backing him.) If there was a deal, he wouldn't have tweeted it this way.
karmasimida 3y ago
This is so ambiguous. It could mean he loves the team and comes back, or the team loves him so much they decided to join him in next venture. Who knows. But definitely a power move to turn up the heat to get good wills from the crowd
himaraya 3y ago
The Verge seems squarely in Sam's camp. Bloomberg reports the board "balking" at stepping down. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-18/openai-board-being-pressed-by-some-investors-to-reinstate-altman https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-18/openai-bo...
dragonwriter 3y ago
> Altman holding talks with the company just a day after he was ousted indicates that OpenAI is in a state of free-fall without him. OTOH, "sources close to Altman" saying that that is happening to the media just says that people close to Altman (quite likely acting as proxies for Altman) want it to be seen that way. > Maybe a deal actually went through? Or maybe he is expressing his positive feelings for the team in the hope of provoking some reciprocation from OpenAI workers to exert pressure on the board to make the thing his camp is saying is happening actually happen, or, if negotiations are actually happening, to make them more likely to be resolved in his favor.
- liuliu 3y ago
  Several low profile OAI employees retweeted with ♥ (same as gdb) indicating the returning is done and through from my interpretation.
  - dragonwriter 3y ago
    I don't see how that clearly indicates that. It works just as well as a public expression of support if conflict hasn't been resolved,
- junofan 3y ago
  It’s over. He’s back.
  - lostmsu 3y ago
    Source?
- lostmsu 3y ago
  It is curious that neither side seems interested to bring the matter to public, but Altman definitely is trying to take advantage of that.

by awb 3y ago

yumraj 3y ago

It sounds more like FUD being spread by Sam camp. I just don’t see a reason as to why the board would resign. But, what do I, or anyone except the people involved, know. OTOH, the tweet sounds/read weird. Is he trying to recruit folks for his next venture.

bmitc 3y ago
Agreed. The board resigning after all this would seem pointless if not completely bewildering. Why would they do that after removing him? The board has no financial interest in the company, so what power does Altman have? Also, I see this Tweet by Altman: > if i start going off, the openai board should go after me for the full value of my shares What does that mean?
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
mullingitover 3y ago
> I just don’t see a reason as to why the board would resign The golden rule. The people with the gold make the rules, and Microsoft has poured mountains of capital into the company. For their board to make an extremely consequential move like they did without consulting their benefactors was the height of hubris. Merely being forced to resign would be merciful, I half expect Satya to find some way to have them thrown in prison.
- yumraj 3y ago
  > Merely being forced to resign would be merciful, I half expect Satya to find some way to have them thrown in prison. Prison? For what??
  - mullingitover 3y ago
    I'm mostly being facetious, but if you have an unlimited budget to throw into a legal war chest for the purpose of making someone's life miserable, you can make someone's life miserable.

gkoberger 3y ago

No, he's just publicly making it clear how much support he has internally. (And to be fair, I do believe that's how he feels, of course – he's probably appreciative of everyone backing him.) If there was a deal, he wouldn't have tweeted it this way.

karmasimida 3y ago

This is so ambiguous. It could mean he loves the team and comes back, or the team loves him so much they decided to join him in next venture. Who knows. But definitely a power move to turn up the heat to get good wills from the crowd

himaraya 3y ago

The Verge seems squarely in Sam's camp. Bloomberg reports the board "balking" at stepping down. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-18/openai-board-being-pressed-by-some-investors-to-reinstate-altman https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-11-18/openai-bo...

dragonwriter 3y ago

> Altman holding talks with the company just a day after he was ousted indicates that OpenAI is in a state of free-fall without him. OTOH, "sources close to Altman" saying that that is happening to the media just says that people close to Altman (quite likely acting as proxies for Altman) want it to be seen that way. > Maybe a deal actually went through? Or maybe he is expressing his positive feelings for the team in the hope of provoking some reciprocation from OpenAI workers to exert pressure on the board to make the thing his camp is saying is happening actually happen, or, if negotiations are actually happening, to make them more likely to be resolved in his favor.

liuliu 3y ago
Several low profile OAI employees retweeted with ♥ (same as gdb) indicating the returning is done and through from my interpretation.
- dragonwriter 3y ago
  I don't see how that clearly indicates that. It works just as well as a public expression of support if conflict hasn't been resolved,
junofan 3y ago
It’s over. He’s back.
- lostmsu 3y ago
  Source?
lostmsu 3y ago
It is curious that neither side seems interested to bring the matter to public, but Altman definitely is trying to take advantage of that.