OpenAI rehires Sam Altman 3 days after sack

OpenAI has reached an agreement on Wedneday to rehire Sam Altman, three days after the board of directors sacked him.

“We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo. We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this,” the company noted in a statement on X.

Read also: OpenAI’s new CEO to quit over no evidence on Altman’s wrongdoing

Altman was sacked on Friday after the company’s board said they no longer had confidence in his leadership over failure to fully grasp the dangers of the technology.

Altman tweeted his return to the company a few minutes after OpenAI posted it had reached an approval-in-principle.

“I love OpenAI, and everything I’ve done over the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together. When I decided to join Microsoft on Sunday evening, it was clear that was the best path for me and the team. With the few boards with Satya’s support, I’m looking forward to returning to OpenAI and building on our strong partnership with Microsoft,” Altman said.

The negotiations for Altman’s return will also bring back Greg Brockman, cofounder and President of OpenAI who was removed alongside Altman.

“We are so back,” Brockman posted on X.

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft also welcomed Altman back to OpenAI.

Read also: Altman sack: Over 70% OpenAI staff ask the board to resign

“We are encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board. We believe this is a first essential step on a path to more stable, well-informed, and effective governance. Sam Greg, and I have talked and agreed they have a key role to play along with the OAI leadership team in ensuring OAI continues to thrive and build on its mission. We look forward to building on our customers and partners,” Nadella said.