Sam Altman wears guest ID at OpenAI office: 'First and last time I ever wear one of these'

Sam Altman posted a photo with a guest ID card at OpenAI. (Image: @sama/X)

Sam Altman, the co-founder and former boss of OpenAI, posted a photo on X holding a company guest ID pass, days after his unceremonious and shocking exit from the groundbreaking company he helped launch in 2015.

Altman's shared a photo of himself at OpenAI's headquarters, declaring it to be the "First and last time I ever wear one of these." The image, posted on the heels of his dismissal, blew up on social media soon after with over 13 million views.

On Friday, OpenAI's board publicly stated 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.

first and last time i ever wear one of these pic.twitter.com/u3iKwyWj0a

— Sam Altman (@sama) November 19, 2023

While the specific nature of the alleged communication shortcomings remains undisclosed, the repercussions were swift, with Altman and another co-founder, Greg Brockman, summoned to the company's San Francisco headquarters for discussions on the weekend.

Soon after Altman was shown the door and Brockman stepped down as well.

Microsoft, an investor in the company, had advocated for his reinstatement but that did not happen so CEO Satya Nadella, in a surprising move, announced that Altman and Brockman are joining the software giant spearheading a new advanced AI research team.

Nadella announced on X: “"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."

Altman, 38, responding to Nadella's announcement, simply wrote, "the mission continues."

Nadella commented, writing to Altman: “"I’m super excited to have you join as CEO of this new group, Sam, setting a new pace for innovation."

Emmett Shear, the former CEO of Twitch, has stepped in as the interim chief executive of OpenAI.