OpenAI Board Battle: Murati on Altman's Return & Near Implosion

OpenAI's former CTO, Mira Murati, says the company would have "imploded" without Sam Altman's return as CEO. She offered a candid account of the five-day period that nearly destroyed the AI company. Here's the thing: Murati stated in a June 5 interview that OpenAI would have failed if Altman hadn't been brought back. On November 17, 2023, the board fired Altman, naming Murati interim CEO. Her first action was to push for Altman's reinstatement, rallying employees and investors. The board then replaced her with a second interim CEO. Altman returned just five days later, on November 22. What's interesting is that Altman's return led to a governance overhaul. The board members who fired him were replaced, and Microsoft, a major investor, gained a board observer seat. Murati's comments also echo her testimony in an ongoing lawsuit, highlighting concerns about leadership and managing rapid growth. The bottom line: This crisis shows the tension between OpenAI's nonprofit origins and its commercial growth, a friction that continues across the AI industry.