one year on
Altman officially returns as OpenAI CEO, new board installed with Microsoft observer seat
The company formally ends two weeks of upheaval by reinstating Sam Altman as CEO, naming a new initial board, and granting Microsoft a non-voting observer seat.
Twelve days after OpenAI’s board abruptly fired Sam Altman, the company today formally announced his return as CEO, along with a new initial board and a non-voting observer seat for Microsoft. The new board is chaired by Bret Taylor, former co-CEO of Salesforce, and includes former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo — the sole holdover from the previous board. Mira Murati, who served as interim CEO for a day, resumes her role as CTO.
In a letter to staff and a company blog post, Altman outlined priorities including advancing research, investing in safety, and conducting an independent review of the events that led to his ouster. He also addressed Ilya Sutskever’s future, stating: “I love and respect Ilya, I think he’s a guiding light of the field and a gem of a human being. I harbor zero ill will towards him.” Sutskever, who initially backed Altman’s firing then reversed course, will no longer serve on the board but may continue his work at OpenAI.
The crisis, which began on Nov. 17 when the old board accused Altman of not being “consistently candid,” triggered a near-total employee revolt and threats to quit unless Altman and former president Greg Brockman were reinstated. Microsoft, which holds a 49% stake in OpenAI’s for-profit entity, gains a board observer seat as part of the resolution.
The record
In an internal letter, Altman said he is 'extremely grateful' for the team's resilience and that he harbors 'zero ill will' toward Ilya Sutskever.
Nadella expressed he was fine with the outcome after Microsoft had briefly hired Altman and Brockman.
One year later — open only if you can handle spoilers
The new board was short-lived: Taylor and Summers would later step down, and Microsoft's observer seat became a point of regulatory scrutiny as antitrust authorities examined the partnership. The independent review never produced a public report, and tensions between safety and commercialization continued to simmer beneath the surface.