Meet the newcomers on OpenAI's board
OpenAI has announced that Sam Altman will be returning as CEO, after a brief removal from the position. OpenAI shared the news on X, stating, "We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D'Angelo." Greg Brockman, who had resigned after Altman's removal, will also be rejoining the organization. Here's a brief look into who these new board members are.
Check out OpenAI's post
Larry Summers
Larry Summers or Lawrence Henry Summers is a well-known American economist who has held positions such as US Secretary of the Treasury (from 1999 to 2001) and director of the National Economic Council (from 2009 to 2010). The 68-year-old was also President of Harvard University and currently serves as Director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at Harvard Kennedy School. With OpenAI increasingly under a policy microscope, Summers brings important connections to the company.
Bret Taylor
Bret Taylor has been appointed as the Chairman of the board at OpenAI. The 43-year-old is a computer programmer who co-created Google Maps. He was also the CTO of Facebook and the Chairman of Twitter's board of directors before Elon Musk acquired it. Taylor was also the co-CEO at Salesforce, co-founded FriendFeed, and created Quip.
Adam D'Angelo
The 39-year-old Adam D'Angelo is best known for his role as the co-founder and CEO of Quora. Prior to that, he held roles as Facebook's CTO and Vice President of Engineering division till 2008. During high school at Phillips Exeter Academy, he collaborated with Mark Zuckerberg on the Synapse Media Player. Additionally, while in college, D'Angelo created BuddyZoo, enabling users to compare their AIM buddy lists.
Who all left the board?
Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's chief scientist and co-founder, reportedly lost influence at the company after Altman's removal. Tech entrepreneur Tasha McCauley and Helen Toner, Director at Georgetown's Center for Security and Emerging Technologies, are no longer on the board. Greg Brockman, who resigned as OpenAI's President in protest of Altman's ouster, confirmed his return to the organization on X, saying, "Returning to OpenAI & getting back to coding tonight."
Microsoft's involvement and Satya Nadella's support
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella showed his support for the changes to OpenAI's board in a tweet, saying, "We are encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board. We believe this is a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance." It is expected that the final OpenAI board will consist of nine members, possibly including Altman and a Microsoft executive. Microsoft had been considering pushing for a board seat before Tuesday's breakthrough.
Interim CEO Emmett Shear's role in resolving the situation
Emmett Shear, who temporarily took over as interim CEO after Altman's departure, played a crucial role in resolving the situation at OpenAI. Shear expressed his satisfaction with the outcome on X, saying, "I am deeply pleased by this result, after ~72 very intense hours of work." Shear shared in his post that resolving this issue prioritized safety while honoring all stakeholders. "I'm glad to have been a part of the solution," he added.
