OpenAI went from hot startup to hot mess in a New York minute last week. By now you know the story: The board fired CEO Sam Altman, his president and co-founder Greg Brockman followed him out the door, and his former employees are in full-on revolt.
For now, at least, it looks like Altman and Brockman have landed at Microsoft, and many of their former OpenAI employees could soon be following suit. While startups fall apart all the time, it doesn’t usually happen to those on such solid footing. This one came down to politics, and it got real ugly real fast.
The situation is still in flux, and nobody knows how this will ultimately end, but the different entities appear to be negotiating, at least for now.
Does it revert to status quo?
After all this drama, could everything go back to the way it was before the board fired Altman? It’s still possible, believe it or not. An OpenAI investor, who spoke with TechCrunch+ on background, hopes to see Altman return to OpenAI after all the dust settles.
“The goal remains the same: the board to go, and Sam and co to return, but it’s very dynamic. This is a high-powered stake among prominent investors and a ragtag board,” the person said. “Investors are keeping all options and potential remedies on the table against the board. The board does not have the legal capital to fight a major lawsuit against them.”