The CEO and public face of OpenAI, Sam Altman, was sacked on Saturday by the board in a harshly worded letter. Altman’s firing was urgent and appeared to be carried out brutally. However, why? Although there isn’t any solid information available to public, rumors claim it has to do with ChatGPT’s profit and safety.
Following the firing of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman by the board, there was a higher level of excitement and buzz in the tech community on Saturday. To put it mildly, the move was surprising. also abruptly. After ChatGPT’s success, Altman’s profile shot up to that of an industry visionary and genius, making him somewhat of an Open AI. As the company’s public face, he was regarded as the leading figure in the AI industry.
What made Open AI fire Sam Altman?
Both motivations behind the scene and those known to the public exist. The company named, Albanian Mira Murati, Open AI’s chief technical officer, as its acting CEO and provided the public with the explanation in the same blog post. The statement from Open AI read as follows:
“The board’s thorough review procedure led to the conclusion that Mr. Altman’s departure occurred because he did not always communicate with the board openly, which impeded the board’s capacity to carry out its duties. The board no more has faith in his capacity to direct OpenAI forward.”
This is a really direct and harsh business communication, implying that something bad has occurred with OpenAI. It appears that either Altman did things that the OpenAI board cannot justify, or the board and he have different ideas. However, no one can say for sure. But the truth is that Altman is no longer employed at OpenAI. Greg Brockman, the other co-founder, is also reportedly in favour of Altman.
Profit Concerns
There’s talk beyond the numbers. Furthermore, it implies that Altman was let go by the Open AI board due to differences of opinion regarding two issues: profit and safety (or rather, Altman’s emphasis on profit).
The well-researched writer from Silicon Valley, Kara Swisher, tweeted as much. According to her understanding, there was a “misalignment” between the company’s profit and non-profit supporters. The developer day presented a problem.
Similar hints have been made by a few more persons. It appears that the difference between OpenAI’s founding principles and its current state in the ChatGPT era is the problem. When OpenAI was first established, it was intended to be a non-profit. One of the original co-founders, Elon Musk, has recently criticized the business for abandoning its non-profit goals in favor of a for-profit business model. Of fact, Musk left Open AI a few years ago due to differences in opinion over the company’s course.
It’s thought that Sam Altman was a CEO who was solely focused on making money. He thought that in order for Open AI to become a tech powerhouse, it needed to have a strong business plan and work hard to develop goods and services.
Safety Reasons
The safety aspect comes next. Social media talk from individuals knowledgeable about the Silicon Valley ecosystem implies that Altman was promoting OpenAI too quickly and forcefully, which was jeopardizing ChatGPT’s and other services’ security.
OpenAI released plug-ins a few days ago at Developers Day that enable users to design their own unique AI system. The function was much sought for, and it seems that it caused a glitch in the business’s systems.
Regardless of Altman’s reason for leaving Open AI, the most recent advancements certainly cause a stir in the AI community. They also seem to be a comfort to businesses like Elon Musk’s X and Google, which are attempting to develop their own AI systems but have so far found it challenging to stay up with OpenAI and ChatGPT’s unrelenting advancement.
