OpenAI’s Altman ouster was result of drawn-out tensions

According to multiple people familiar with the board’s thinking who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations, the directors’ move was the culmination of months spent mulling issues around Altman’s strategic maneuvering and a perceived lack of transparency in his communications with directors. — AFP

When OpenAI’s board made the shocking decision to fire chief executive officer Sam Altman on the Friday before Thanksgiving, it offered little detail beyond a statement that the leader of the artificial intelligence startup was not "consistently candid” with its directors.

The statement, devoid of any details, was the opening volley in a power struggle that played out almost entirely behind closed doors. Privately, Altman and the board jockeyed over what to say publicly and when, according to people familiar with the situation. At one point, during the discussions about Altman’s possible return as CEO, he offered to publicly apologise for misrepresenting some board members’ views in conversations when he was lobbying for a director’s removal, the people said.