Sam Altman in talks with OpenAI board, likely to return as CEO soon: Report

The OpenAI board is in discussions with Sam Altman to return to the company as its CEO. Altman, who was suddenly fired by the board on Friday with no notice, is “ambivalent” about coming back and would want significant governance changes.

A day after ousting Sam Altman as its CEO, ChatGPT maker OpenAI board is in discussions with him to return to the company as its CEO, The Verge reported. The 38-year-old, who was suddenly fired by the board on November 17 with no notice, is “ambivalent” about coming back and would want significant governance changes, the reports stated.

Sam Altman, who was fired Friday, is open to returning but wants to see governance changes, including the removal of existing board members, according to various media reports.

He is also looking for a statement clearing him of any wrongdoing. The board originally agreed to stand down in principle following the significant outcry over the dismissal, but they have yet to formally resign. 

Key leaders within OpenAI are also pushing for the board to resign and bring back Altman, reports said. The list includes Interim CEO Mira Murati, Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon and Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap, it added.

The campaign to reinstate Altman got underway soon after his firing Friday. The board members led by OpenAI Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever dismissed Altman and stripped him of his director role, saying "he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board." 

The company's board of directors included internet entrepreneur Tasha McCauley, Quora Inc. CEO Adam D'Angelo, and Helen Toner, head of strategy at Georgetown's Centre for Security and Emerging Technology.

Sunday lunchtime saw the first signs that a settlement to the discussions could be approaching. According to a person with knowledge of the situation, Altman and Brockman arrived at OpenAI's San Francisco offices. Later, Altman shared a photo of himself in the headquarters with a visitor badge on the social media platform X, captioning it, "First and last time I ever wear one of these."

Playing a central role in negotiations amid executives, investors and the board is Microsoft Corp. CEO Satya Nadella, some of the people said. Microsoft is OpenAI's biggest investor, with $13 billion invested.