Sam Altman is back at OpenAI, but questions remain as to why he was fired in first place

Some investors and executives at OpenAI have also complained that the board hasn’t sufficiently explained its rationale for dismissing Altman. — AFP

Sam Altman is returning to lead OpenAI less than five days after his surprise dismissal, which kicked off a tug of war for his talent, left the company in disarray and laid bare deep board divisions over the mission of one of the world’s most valuable startups.

OpenAI’s new interim board, which won’t include Altman at the outset, will be led by Bret Taylor, a former co-CEO of Salesforce Inc. The other directors are Larry Summers, the former US treasury secretary, and existing member Adam D’Angelo, the co-founder and CEO of Quora Inc.