Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella said to CNBC’s Jon Fortt, on Monday, that the governance structure for OpenAI must change. This comes three days after fired CEO Sam Altman abruptly.
Nadella stated that “at this point it is very clear” that there needs to be a change in the governance. He said that Microsoft would “have a good dialog with their board about that.”
Nadella’s first interview with the press since Altman was ousted dismissed any concerns about the long-term effects of OpenAI. He also said that Microsoft and OpenAI will continue their partnership, as well as the important artificial intelligence research. His comments did not clear up the confusion about where Altman, and his fellow co-founder Greg Brockman who was OpenAI’s chairman will end up.
Nadella announced early Monday morning that Altman Brockman and their colleagues would be joining Microsoft in a new AI Research Group. This post came after news that Emmett Shear, the ex-CEO of Twitch, had been appointed interim OpenAI head when Altman announced his departure. On Monday, the likelihood of Altman and Brockman joining Microsoft became less clear.
OpenAI staffers signed an letter demanding resignation. Otherwise, the staffers could leave the company and join Microsoft.
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Nadella stated that it is up to OpenAI employees to decide whether to stay in their roles or move to Microsoft. He added that his company already has the necessary resources to continue innovating.
He said, “I am open to both.”
On Saturday, the possibility of Altman’s rapid reinstatement began to appear. News broke that a group prominent investors including Microsoft, Tiger Global and Sequoia Capital, were working together to reverse the decision of the board from a day prior. The decision was made without any board representation by these firms, who were also caught off guard.
Altman posted a comment on X Saturday night. Brockman, the former chairman of the company, reposted it with a heart icon. OpenAI employees also did the same.
Nadella told Fortt Microsoft respected OpenAI’s nonprofit origins and shared its belief that AI must be developed and deployed in a secure manner.
Nadella stated that “we want to ensure that we deal with the benefits of technology as well as the unintended effects of the technology right from the start, rather than waiting for them to occur.”
