Sacked OpenAI boss Sam Altman to join Microsoft

Sam Altman is joining Microsoft, the tech-giant has announced, ending speculation he might return to OpenAI just 48 hours after his chaotic ousting.

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella wrote on X,  formerly Twitter, that  Altman would be joining Microsoft to lead “a new advanced AI research team”.

Meanwhile, ex-Twitch CEO Emmett Shear will become OpenAI’s new boss. Writing on X, he called the job a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.

But in his post on the platform formerly known as Twitter, he added the way  Altman had been sacked was “handled very badly” and “seriously damaged our trust”.

The board dismissed Sam Altman, 38, on Friday, saying it had lost confidence in him, and named OpenAI’s chief technology officer, Mira Murati, as its interim chief executive.

Altman helped launch the firm, which created the popular ChatGPT bot, in 2015, and was the face of the firm’s rise. He is considered one of the most influential figures in the fast-growing generative artificial intelligence (AI) space, and his sacking sent shockwaves across the industry.

(BBC)