A timeline of Sam Altman's ouster and return to OpenAI

In a sudden reversal, OpenAI took to X (formerly known as Twitter) on November 22 to announce Sam Altman's reinstatement as CEO. This decision follows a wave of criticism from both employees and investors, who vehemently opposed the board's abrupt removal of Altman just last week.

The sudden removal of Altman caught both OpenAI's employees and its major investors, including Microsoft, off guard.

Here is a timeline of what happened at the AI research lab:

November 16

Ilya Sutskever schedules call with Altman: OpenAI co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, according to Brockman, sent Altman a message on November 16 to schedule a meeting on November 17.

Mira Murati informed of Altman’s sacking: Brockman alleges that OpenAI chief technology officer (CTO) Mira Murati was informed on the night of November 16 that Altman would be fired.

November 17

Brockman ousted from the board: Brockman said that Sutskever reached out to him via text, requesting a call. Upon joining the call, he learned that he was being ousted from OpenAI's board of directors. However, he was assured that he would continue in his capacity as president and that Altman had been fired.

Altman’s firing publicly announced: OpenAI released a blog post announcing Altman's termination on the grounds of not being “consistently candid in his communications with the board.” The post further stated that Murati would assume the role of interim CEO.

Also read | Who is Mira Murati, the 34-year-old appointed interim CEO of OpenAI?

All-hands meeting: Sutskever faced questions from employees during an all-hands meeting following Altman's ouster, with some expressing concerns about a potential "coup" or "hostile takeover."

Addressing these concerns, Sutskever emphasised the board's commitment to OpenAI's mission of developing beneficial artificial general intelligence (AGI) for the betterment of humanity.

Also read | Profit vs non-profit tensions or coup by chief scientist: Theories abound over Sam Altman's ouster

Microsoft issues a statement: Microsoft, the largest investor in OpenAI, released a statement regarding the removal of Sam Altman as CEO.

"We have a long-term agreement with OpenAI with full access to everything we need to deliver on our innovation agenda and an exciting product roadmap; and remain committed to our partnership, and to Mira and the team. Together, we will continue to deliver the meaningful benefits of this technology to the world," Microsoft said in a blog post.

Brockman quits: After the public announcement of Altman's departure, Brockman announced his own resignation.

“I’m super proud of what we’ve all built together since starting in my apartment 8 years ago,” Brockman wrote in a statement shared on X. “We’ve been through tough & great times together, accomplishing so much despite all the reasons it should have been impossible. But based on today’s news, I quit.”

OpenAI researchers resign: Three senior OpenAI researchers, Jakub Pachocki, Aleksander Madry, and Szymon Sidor, resigned following the sacking of Altman.

November 18

Altman plans new AI venture: Sam Altman was actively working to raise billions from some of the world’s largest investors for a new chip venture.

Investors push for Altman’s return: OpenAI investors, including Thrive Global, urge the company's board to reverse its decision to fire Altman as CEO and remove him as a director.

Also read | OpenAI investors considering suing the board after CEO's abrupt firing

The board agrees in principle to reinstate Altman: Reports emerge that OpenAI’s board “had agreed in principle” to resign and bring back both Altman as CEO and Brockman as president.

November 19

Attempts to bring back Altman hit a roadblock: Efforts to reinstate Altman as OpenAI's CEO hit a roadblock, with negotiations stalling over disagreements regarding the board's composition and role. Altman is open to returning but wants to see governance changes, including the removal of existing board members and a statement absolving him of wrongdoing.

Emmett Shear appointed as interim CEO: The board, unwilling to compromise, named Twitch co-founder Emmett Shear as the new interim CEO, replacing Murati.

Also read | Who is Emmett Shear, the new interim CEO of OpenAI

November 20

Satya Nadella hires Altman, Brockman, others: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that Altman, Brockman, and other OpenAI employees will be joining the company's new advanced AI research team. Nadella added that Altman will serve as the CEO of the new advanced AI research team.

Sutskever’s U-turn: Sutskever, in a post on X, expressed his regret for participating in the board's decision to remove Altman and vowed to do everything in his power to reunite the company.

Employees threaten to resign: In a show of solidarity with their ousted CEO Altman, nearly 500 OpenAI employees, including Sutskever, threatened to resign from the company unless the remaining board members stepped down. They indicated that they would follow Altman to his new AI research venture at Microsoft if their demands were not met.

November 21

Nadella bats for Altman: Nadella indicates openness to Altman's return to OpenAI, rather than joining Microsoft as initially announced. Regardless of what happens, though, OpenAI needs governance changes, he said.

“Irrespective of where Sam is, he’s working with Microsoft,” Nadella said.

November 22

Altman is back as CEO: OpenAI announced that it has reached an agreement in principle for Altman to return as CEO. The company stated that a new initial board has been inducted, including Bret Taylor, former co-CEO of Salesforce, and Larry Summers, former Secretary of the Treasury. However, Adam D'Angelo, co-founder and CEO of Quora, will continue to serve on the board.