Sam Altman, the CEO and co-founder of OpenAI, has been dismissed from his own company after its board accused him of “being not consistently candid in his communications.” This unexpected move has sent shockwaves through Silicon Valley. Altman, who gained significant visibility and recognition as the face of OpenAI following the success of their chatbot ChatGPT, has been a sought-after expert in the field of artificial intelligence.

OpenAI’s board released a statement on Friday, expressing their lack of confidence in Altman’s ability to lead and the necessity for new leadership as the company moves forward, BBC reported. The specifics of what Altman allegedly concealed from the board remain unclear. Read the statement in part:

Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities.

In response to his dismissal, Altman said his time at the company was transformational adding that he would announce future plans soon.

Mira Murati, OpenAI’s CTO, will step in as the interim CEO, while Greg Brockman will no longer serve as the chair of the board but will retain his position as OpenAI president.

The announcement of Altman’s removal caught many employees off guard, with internal announcements and the company’s public-facing blog being their first source of information. An emergency all-hands meeting was scheduled to discuss the news with employees.

Altman co-founded the company in 2015 as a non-profit organisation and later shifted its focus to a “capped profit” model. Altman’s firing comes after his high-profile appearances and discussions on AI and its impact on society, including his testimony before the US Congress.

Altman’s departure has raised questions about the future of OpenAI and its strategic direction. However, Microsoft, a key partner of OpenAI, has stated that the leadership change will not affect their relationship and that they remain committed to working together to deliver the benefits of AI technology.

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