Sam Altman returns to OpenAI’s Board with three new members

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI re-appointed Sam Altman, its fired-then-rehired Chief Executive Officer (CEO), to its board of directors, along with three experienced women executives from Sony, Meta, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s most renowned AI startup said on Friday.

According to OpenAI’s announcement on 9 March 2024, Sam Altman will return to the company’s board of directors. The board also added three new members: Sue Desmond-Hellmann, former CEO of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Nicole Seligman, former Sony Entertainment executive; and Fidji Simo, CEO and chair of Instacart.

Why does it matter?

Employees, investors, and Microsoft, OpenAI’s backer, all expressed shock after Altman’s dismissal, leading to a reversal of the decision within a few days. After law firm WilmerHale’s inquiry into the events preceding Altman’s November 2023 removal concluded, OpenAI enforced new governance procedures and updated its conflict of interest policy. The board also affirmed that it unanimously supported Altman’s leadership.

WilmerHale’s probe determined that Altman’s firing was not due to issues over OpenAI’s finances, product safety, or other problems, but rather “a consequence of a breakdown in the relationship and loss of trust between the prior Board and Mr. Altman.”