The board of OpenAI has been urged to step down by the employees following the unexpected termination of former CEO Sam Altman.
They cast doubt on the board’s qualifications and charge it with undermining the firm’s work in a letter.
They also call for the reinstatement of Mr. Altman.
However, Mr. Altman appears to prefer to continue at Microsoft, where he already works. He noted that he and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella consider the success of OpenAI to be crucial.
“We are dedicated to giving our partners and clients complete operational continuity. This is quite feasible thanks to Microsoft’s relationship with OpenAI.”
The tech community was taken aback by the dismissal of a prominent person in artificial intelligence (AI) on Friday.
Senior employees are among the hundreds of signatories to the letter who threaten to quit themselves if their requests are not fulfilled.
Additionally, they claim that Microsoft, OpenAI’s largest backer, has given them assurances that all employees would have jobs if they wish to work for the business.
During an interview with CNBC, Mr. Nadella expressed his willingness to collaborate with OpenAI or its workers when they visit Microsoft.
“At this juncture… it’s abundantly evident that a change in the governance [at OpenAI] is necessary,” he continued, announcing that the companies would be having discussions over this.
Engagement manager Evan Morikawa of OpenAI said on X, formerly Twitter, that 743 of the 770 employees of the firm had signed the letter.
Ilya Sutskever, the principal scientist at OpenAI, is among the prominent individuals who signed the letter, despite being a member of the board that is currently facing criticism. He acknowledged that he made a mistake in his writing on X.
“I now sincerely regret taking part in the board’s activities. I never meant to cause harm to OpenAI. He wrote, “I love everything we’ve built together, and I will stop at nothing to bring the company back together.”