Ex-OpenAI board member provides her first detailed account of CEO ouster

FILE PHOTO: Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 18, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/ file photo

SAN FRANCISCO - OpenAI's board only learned of the existence of ChatGPT when they saw it on Twitter, former board member Helen Toner said in an interview on "The Ted AI Show" podcast that aired Tuesday.

Toner provided her first detailed account of the backstory behind the dramatic firing and rehiring last November of OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman, painting a picture of a manipulative executive who fostered a "toxic atmosphere".