Sam Altman's return to OpenAI: tracking the Silicon Valley upheaval

FILE PHOTO: Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 16, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

(Reuters) -OpenAI said late on Tuesday Sam Altman would return to the company as CEO, capping days of high drama and marathon discussions about the future of the startup at the center of the global artificial intelligence boom.

Following his surprise dismissal on Friday, Altman had briefly joined Microsoft as the head of artificial intelligence research along with the ChatGPT maker's former President Greg Brockman and other staff.