Board said it no longer had confidence 'in his ability to continue leading'
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has revealed that he was "super caught off guard" after he was terminated by the organisation's board in November.
Altman's firing and eventual rehiring became massive news in late 2023 as OpenAI's ChatGPT was skyrocketing to popularity and gaining widespread use across the world.
"I was like, I think this is wild. Super confused, super caught off guard. But this is the structure," Altman said at the Bloomberg House in Davos.
He added that he immediately went to think what he was going to do next.
"I was not until some board members called me the next morning that I even thought about really coming back."
Altman's firing
Altman was briefly sacked by OpenAI's board in November, who said he was "not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities."
"The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI," the board previously said in a statement.
Altman was temporarily replaced by chief technology officer Mira Murati, and then by ex-Twitch CEO Emmett Shear.
Greg Brockman, co-founder of OpenAI, also stepped down as chairman of the board but remained in his role at the company.
Altman's departure triggered a massive protest within the organisation's workforce, with about 95% of employees signing an open letter threatening to quit unless the board resigns and Altman is reinstated, according to Wired.
Among the signees is board member Ilya Sutskever, who said on X that he deeply regrets his participation in the board's actions.
"I never intended to harm OpenAI. I love everything we've built together, and I will do everything I can to reunite the company," Sutskever said on the platform.
Rehiring Altman
Amid strong pressure from its employees, as well as blowback from investors, OpenAI has brought back Altman as CEO on November 29, just days after the company announced his departure.
Altman's reinstatement comes with a new initial board consisting of Larry Summers, Adam D'Angelo, and Bret Taylor as the chair.
"I have never been more excited about the future. I am extremely grateful for everyone's hard work in an unclear and unprecedented situation, and I believe our resilience and spirit set us apart in the industry," Altman said in a statement.
The CEO thanked Shear, who he said had a "key and constructive role" in reaching the outcome.
"Emmett's dedication to AI safety and balancing stakeholders’ interests was clear," Altman said.
Murati also returned to her former role as CTO, with Altman calling her an "incredible leader" who served OpenAI "selflessly."
Altman's departure sparked a wave of conversation about OpenAI's company structure, where the CEO previously revealed he had no equity and left him vulnerable for boardroom coups, CNBC reported.
But Altman said in Davos that they are currently focusing on putting a "great full board" first.
"I expect us to make a lot of progress on that in the coming months, and then after that, the new board will take a look at the governance structure," he said.
