Microsoft Consulted on OpenAI’s Decision to Dismiss Sam Altman

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has criticized the removal of former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, saying that the company should have consulted with Microsoft before making such a decision. Nadella believes that as a partner, Microsoft deserves to be consulted on big decisions, especially given its investment in OpenAI and the close partnership between the two companies.

On Friday, OpenAI announced Altman’s firing as CEO without any prior warning to Microsoft. The board claimed that Altman was not consistently candid in his communications with them, but did not provide further details. The sudden change led to chaos over the weekend and resulted in the appointment of former Twitch chief Emmett Shear as OpenAI’s new interim CEO.

However, it seems that the drama is far from over, with nearly all of OpenAI’s staff threatening to quit unless the board resigns and Altman returns as CEO. Nadella seems prepared for this possibility and has announced that he will create a new advanced AI research team at Microsoft with both Altman and former OpenAI president Greg Brockman on board.

Nadella believes that there is no OpenAI without Microsoft playing a deep role in partnering with the company on its mission. He also believes that it is important for partners to be consulted on big decisions, especially when their investment and partnership are involved. However, representatives for both companies have not responded to requests for comment from Business Insider outside regular business hours.