The speculation seems to be that Sam was being duplicitous and trying to oust a board member he didn't like. Members of the board compared notes and realized he

The speculation seems to be that Sam was being duplicitous and trying to oust a board member he didn't like. Members of the board compared notes and realized he had misrepresented his conversations with other members in an attempt to build concensus. Throw in the rapid expansion of OpenAI (commercialization being in conflict with the board's vague mandate to do what's best for humanity) and the rumored (now confirmed) deal he was arranging with a company that he had a financial stake in, and they felt like they needed to remove him. However, by trying to do so swiftly and not allowing him a chance to retaliate they pissed off Microsoft and the employees. At that point, they were basically forced to reinstate him or the entire company would collapse — and if they do that, they can't also go on record clarifying why he's bad. * this is my vague recollection based on reading past discussions. I'm on my phone right now and unfortunately don't have any sources I can link, take this with a grain of salt. Edit: a few links https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38559770 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38559770 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38548404 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38548404