Microsoft has announced that Sam Altman, who was CEO of OpenAI and responsible for popularizing ChatGPT and leading the rise of interest in artificial intelligence (AI), has landed a job at the company just 48 hours after leaving. Altman will be executive director of a new advanced AI research team at Microsoft, along with Greg Brockman and other colleagues.
The departure of Altman and other key executives from OpenAI raised concerns among investors, employees, and the tech industry as a whole. Initially, a former CTO was tapped to replace Altman, but she ultimately decided to join him and left the position vacant. Negotiations did not result in a return to OpenAI for Altman.
Altman’s departure from OpenAI has important implications for both companies, as Microsoft has invested heavily in OpenAI, including integrating technologies such as ChatGPT and DALL-E into its Bing search engine. Losing Altman and his team could pose a significant risk to Microsoft and result in a loss of talent and competition from rival companies.
However, Microsoft was able to secure the talent of Altman and his team, which sparked interest from other organizations, including the French government, which pitched him and his team to help develop their AI capabilities. Despite the uncertain circumstances surrounding his departure from OpenAI, Altman remains a highly sought-after figure in the field of artificial intelligence.