Despite an announcement made earlier in the day that Sam Altman would be joining Microsoft’s artificial intelligence innovation group, Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, gave a hint on Monday that he was still open to the possibility of Altman returning to OpenAI.
During an interview with CNBC on Monday, Nadella responded by saying that he was “open to both options” when questioned about Altman’s potential future employment with Microsoft.
According to Nadella, “Look, that is something that is for the OpenAI board and management as well as the employees to choose.” “We made the decision to explicitly partner with OpenAI, and we intend to continue doing so. Without a doubt, this is contingent upon the individuals working for OpenAI remaining in their current position or moving to Microsoft.”
Microsoft CEO doesn’t dismiss possibility of Sam Altman returning to OpenAI
In a sudden and unexpected move on Friday, the board of directors of OpenAI immediately terminated Altman, the creator of ChatGPT. One of the most significant investors in OpenAI is Microsoft, which has contributed thirteen billion dollars to the firm.
The termination occurred over the course of a weekend that was filled with drama. Greg Brockman, the president of OpenAI, resigned, and hundreds of staff at OpenAI threatened to quit over Altman’s dismissal. Mira Murati was also appointed as the company’s interim chief executive officer.
OpenAI made the announcement on Monday that Emmett Shear, co-founder of Twitch, would be taking over as interim CEO, while Microsoft revealed that it would be hiring Altman. Following the completion of the announcement, the shares of Microsoft reached an all-time high.
On the other hand, in the midst of an unstable leadership scenario at OpenAI, reports quickly surfaced that Altman was on the verge of returning to the business.
In a statement, Nadella reaffirmed Microsoft’s dedication to OpenAI and Altman, stating that this commitment is “regardless of what configuration.”
In the event that Sam and Greg are not going to be working at OpenAI, it is evident that we want them to have a wonderful place to call home, he said.
When Nadella was asked about Microsoft’s perspective on OpenAI and the potential of acquiring a board member, he responded by saying, “It is obvious that something needs to change with regard to the governance.”
During a separate interview that took place on Kara Swisher’s “On” podcast on Monday, Nadella declined to answer the question of whether Altman may be considered for the position of CEO at the company in the future if he continues to work for the firm.
Nadella made the remark, “Let’s just say it’s fantastic to have lots of capable people who can become CEOs of Microsoft.”