The exit and return of Sam Altman to OpenAI: A timeline
A lot has happened at OpenAI. Sam Altman was removed as CEO, interim replacements named and then he was brought back as top boss—all within a week. Here’s a timeline of events.
’s Generative AI tool ChatGPT took the world by storm when it first launched a year ago, catapulting its CEO Sam Altman to superstar status. So, it was a surprise to all, including those who backed the most-hyped AI startup in the world, when Altman was fired by his board.
But with twists and turns worthy of a Netflix series, the world watched as new developments emerged every hour with actors within and outside OpenAI playing key roles. The crucial plot twist was when OpenAI employees, including the one who was named interim CEO, rallied behind their 'former' boss and threatened to quit en masse if he was not reinstated. It ended (hopefully) with Altman's heroic return.
Here’s a timeline of what happened at the AI powerhouse:
November 17, 2023: OpenAI, through its official blog, dropped a bombshell—it had fired Altman from his CEO role.
In the announcement, the company’s board said that after “a deliberative review process,” it found the CEO wasn’t “candid in his communications with the board”, and the board no longer had confidence in his ability to continue to lead the company.
In an all-hands meeting on Friday afternoon, OpenAI’s Chief Scientist and Co-founder Ilya Sutskever defended the removal of Altman. He dismissed claims that Altman's departure amounted to a "hostile takeover", asserting that the decision was necessary to safeguard OpenAI’s mission of “making AI beneficial to humanity.”
OpenAI's board of directors declared Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati as Altman's temporary successor while they found a permanent replacement.
Taking to X, OpenAI employees voiced their sentiments. Many employees also responded with hearts to a post by Altman that stated “i love the openai team so much.”
In a follow-up announcement, the board said Greg Brockman, Co-founder and President of OpenAI, “will be stepping down as chairman of the board and will remain in his role at the company, reporting to the CEO.”
After Altman's exit, Brockman announced his departure from the company. Soon, three senior OpenAI researchers—Director of Research Jakub Pachocki, Head of Preparedness Aleksander Madry, and Szymon Sidor—also resigned.
To this, Brockman said, “Sam and I are shocked and saddened by what the board did today.”
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also released a statement on Altman’s firing. In response to OpenAI's shake-up, Microsoft—one of the biggest investors and stakeholders in OpenAI—also saw a 1.7% dip in its shares.
November 18: As per media reports, Altman was actively working to raise billions from some of the world’s largest investors for a new chip venture.
According to Bloomberg, the termination of Altman was a result of extensive disagreements between the CEO and the board, notably with Sutskever, which included varied perspectives on AI safety, the development of the technology, and the commercialisation strategy of the company.
Further, several investors urged the board to reverse its decision to dismiss Altman, following which the board apparently “agreed in principle” to resign and bring back both Altman as CEO and Brockman as president.
November 19: Efforts to reinstate Altman as OpenAI CEO met with roadblocks following disagreements with the board's composition and function.
Altman expressed openness to returning but insisted on governance changes, including the removal of current board members and a statement clearing him of any wrongdoings.
Unwilling to meet Altman's demands, the board appointed Twitch Co-founder Emmett Shear as the new interim CEO, replacing Murati.
November 20: Nadella informed that Altman and Brockman together will join Microsoft, adding that Microsoft will remain committed to its partnership with the company.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Sutskever did an about-turn and expressed deep regrets for his actions. He said, "I love everything we've built together, and I will do everything I can to reunite the company."
Meanwhile, nearly 505 of OpenAI’s roughly 770 employees—including CTO Murati and Sutskever—published an open letter, saying they might quit unless the company’s board resigns and reappoints Altman. Later on Monday, the number rose to over 650.
November 21: In a series of posts on X, Altman spoke about OpenAI's ongoing partnership with Microsoft. He wrote, “One team, one mission."
However, contrary to the initial announcement of joining Microsoft, CEO Nadella signalled a willingness for Altman's potential return to OpenAI. "Irrespective of Sam's location, he remains engaged with Microsoft," Nadella remarked.
November 22: Less than a week after Altman was abruptly removed from his position, OpenAI reached an agreement with Altman to reinstate him as the CEO.
Further, the AI research lab said it has formed a new board with Bret Taylor (former CEO of ) as the chair, Larry Summers (former US Secretary of the Treasury), and Adam D'Angelo (Co-founder and CEO of ).
Edited by Suman Singh