(New York) Several investors in the startup OpenAi, which launched the generative artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT a year ago, are working to bring back its boss Sam Altman who was fired Friday by his board of directors, several American media reported on Sunday.
Referring to several unidentified sources, the Wall Street Journal writes on its site that big financiers of the company, first and foremost Microsoft and the venture capital firm Thrive Capital, “are making efforts to bring back Sam Altman”.
Microsoft and Thrive are OpenAi’s two biggest backers, but “other investors in the company are supporting their efforts.”
THE New York Times reports elements of the same content.
OpenAi created a surprise by announcing the dismissal with immediate effect of the Silicon Valley star following “a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he had not always been frank in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to fulfill its responsibilities.”
This body no longer has “confidence in its ability to lead OpenAI,” she added.
“We are grateful for Sam’s many contributions to the creation and growth of OpenAI. At the same time, we believe new governance is necessary to move forward,” the board said in a statement Friday.
Several managers of the company founded in late 2015 have since announced their resignations, in particular the chairman of the board of directors Greg Brockman – a co-founder of the company –.
Microsoft had, however, assured a little earlier that he was leaving his position on the council, but that he remained a staff member.
The Sequoia investment company “supports”, MM. Altman and Brockman “in whatever they decide to do next, whether it’s returning to OpenAi or creating a new startup,” specifies the CNBC channel, after speaking to someone close to the matter.
According to WSJ sources, Sam Altman, 38, “is considering returning, but he has told investors that if he does return, he wants a new board of directors and a new governance structure.”
The business daily adds that he is also discussing the creation of a new company into which he would bring former OpenAI employees, including several of those who resigned after his dismissal.
He “should decide between the two options as early as this weekend,” notes the newspaper.
Since the first version of ChatGPT went online on November 30, 2022, millions of people have used it to write messages, ask for a cooking recipe or invent a story to tell their children – which the conversational robot can then read to them.