Meanwhile, some new details emerged about the days leading up to Altman’s firing. “In the weeks leading up to his shocking ouster from OpenAI, Sam Altman was actively working to raise billions from some of the world’s largest investors for a new chip venture,” Bloomberg reported. Altman reportedly was traveling in the Middle East to raise money for “an AI-focused chip company” that would compete against Nvidia.
As Bloomberg wrote, “The board and Altman had differences of opinion on AI safety, the speed of development of the technology and the commercialization of the company, according to a person familiar with the matter. Altman’s ambitions and side ventures added complexity to an already strained relationship with the board.”
“According to people familiar with the board’s thinking, members had grown so untrusting of Altman that they felt it necessary to double-check nearly everything he told them,” the WSJ report said. The sources said it wasn’t a single incident that led to the firing, “but a consistent, slow erosion of trust over time that made them increasingly uneasy,” the WSJ article said. “Also complicating matters were Altman’s mounting list of outside AI-related ventures, which raised questions for the board about how OpenAI’s technology or intellectual property could be used.”
I’m still confused how their chief scientist was part of the coup to remove Altman and at the same was one of the signatures on the letter demanding his return.
I actually think it was because of Greg Brockman previous head of the board that quit after hearing the news about Altman.
They told him he was vital to the company after firing Sam and removing him from the board.
Ilya their chief scientist officiated Greg and his wifes wedding. Apparantly Greg wifes pleaded to Ilya to support their return.
I think the main issue here is open ai’s stated goal of developing safe agi to benefit all of humanity, destruction of the company and not making any profit would be align with that.
However with so many player developing for profit ai catching up it is probably safter to have an openai raking risks then not having any openai at all.
Ilya probably hoped that Greg and most co workers would stay without Altman, but since they where not the outcome prospects became worse enough to regret.