Former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Joins Microsoft

Sam Altman, the former CEO of OpenAI, Greg Brockman, the company's co-founder and president, and other former staff members will be joining Microsoft, the software giant's CEO Satya Nadella said in a post on X.

Altman left OpenAI​ last week after the board said it no longer had confidence in him to continue leading the company. Brockman announced his resignation shortly after Altman was ousted. Altman will lead a new advanced AI research team, Nadella said.

OpenAI's major investors, led by Nadella, reportedly pushed to reinstate Sam Altman as CEO and replace the current board, following the unexpected firing, with intense negotiations involved in the process.

"We've learned a lot over the years about how to give founders and innovators space to build independent identities and cultures within Microsoft, including GitHub, Mojang Studios, and LinkedIn, and I'm looking forward to having you do the same," Nadella said in a post directed at Altman.

Nadella said that Microsoft remains committed to its partnership with OpenAI, and looks forward to getting to know new CEO Emmet Shear and working with the company.

Late last Sunday, Emmett Shear, who formerly led Amazon's streaming platform Twitch, was appointed interim CEO at the AI company, replacing the former interim CEO Mira Murati.