OpenAI Turmoil: CEO Firing Sparks Employee Strike Threats

OpenAI’s firing of CEO Sam Altman may have jeopardized its viability. According to reports, most employee have pledged to strike unless the expulsion is reversed.

Adding to the confusion, several prominent tech leaders have offered employment to departing workers.

Microsoft CTO Kevin ScottMicrosoft CTO Kevin Scott and Salesforce founder and CEO Marc Benioff have offered to match OpenAI employees’ departure pay, while Meta’s FAIR and Nvidia team leaders have collected resumes and offered to place them in their divisions.

After an eventful year, OpenAI received overwhelming support. Its groundbreaking “ChatGPT” product was released in November 2022 to global praise.

The company’s capitalization has since risen to $86 billion. However, Altman’s abrupt dismissal on Nov. 17 has caused unparalleled turbulence for the corporation.

As of Nov. 21, 700 of the company’s 770 employees, including Ilya Sutskever, the sole remaining co-founder on the board, have signed a letter threatening to leave if Altman isn’t reinstated.

After a tech business revamp, employee walkouts are common, but many experts believe this scenario might have a major impact. Microsoft hiring all OpenAI personnel is an implausible prospect.

This might lead to a hostile takeover of OpenAI for pennies on the dollar. There are many other possibilities. According to reports, OpenAI’s board and new CEO, Emmett Shear, are having “intense discussions” with staff and stakeholders.

If successful, OpenAI might keep its core development staff and move forward with its new CEO. However, Microsoft’s hire of Sam Altman as the CEO of an unannounced AI branch may make him less motivated to manage OpenAI.

OpenAI staff may walk out if the business does not rescind its Nov. 17 decision or if Altman refuses to return.