Microsoft has been criticized by a group of OpenAI employees who claim that they will leave the company if the board does not resign. The letter was signed by more than 500 workers out of a total of 770 OpenAI staff members. The employees expressed their support for former co-founder Sam Altman, who was recently fired from his position at the company.
Microsoft has assured the employees that there are positions available for them at its new subsidiary if they decide to join. However, OpenAI has named a new CEO, Emmett Scheer, despite pressure from Microsoft and other investors to bring Altman back.
The company stood by its decision on Altman, stating that his conduct and lack of transparency undermined the board’s ability to effectively oversee the company. Scheer denied reports that Altman was fired over security concerns related to AI technology use.
OpenAI competes with other companies like Google and Meta in developing AI-based applications. Generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT are powered by large amounts of data, allowing them to answer questions in human-like language and generate and manipulate images or create sounds and expressions. Microsoft has invested over $10 billion in OpenAI and plans to continue its partnership with the startup while remaining committed to its product roadmap.