Former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is set to join Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team, Satya Nadella announced in a surprising move. Ex OpenAI president and co-founder Greg Brockman will also join the software giant. The news came after Altman's unexpected exit from OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT.
Altman, 38, responding to Nadella's announcement, simply wrote, "the mission continues."
Microsoft CEO Nadella took to X to express his enthusiasm about Altman's new role, tweeting to Altman, "I’m super excited to have you join as CEO of this new group, Sam, setting a new pace for innovation."
Nadella also emphasized Microsoft's commitment to providing founders and innovators the space to build independent identities and cultures within the company, citing successful examples like GitHub, Mojang Studios, and LinkedIn.
Nadella had announced reassuring stakeholders, stating, "We remain committed to our partnership with OpenAI and have confidence in our product roadmap, our ability to continue to innovate with everything we announced at Microsoft Ignite, and in continuing to support our customers and partners."
He continued: "We’re extremely excited to share the news that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, together with colleagues, will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team. We look forward to moving quickly to provide them with the resources needed for their success."
He also expressed eagerness to collaborate with Emmett Shear, OpenAI's newly appointed interim CEO and the company's new leadership team. Microsoft is a stakeholder in OpenAI.
Elon Musk, who had invested money in OpenAI but quit a few years later, couldn't resist adding a touch of humor to the announcement. He replied to Nadella's tweet, stating, "Now they will have to use Teams!"
On Friday, OpenAI's board took action, publicly stating that it had lost confidence in Altman. The board accused him of a lack of transparency in communications, impeding its ability to fulfill its responsibilities.
While the specific nature of the alleged communication shortcomings remains undisclosed, the repercussions were swift, with Altman shown the door soon after and Brockman stepping down after his exit.
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