The OpenAI saga: new CEO in town
The OpenAI saga was the main AI event this week. We followed the updates every day to see how the OpenAI team and Microsoft tried to bring him back.
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Here’s what happened this week:
The OpenAI saga
Secret AI discovery before firing Sam Altman
Let's dive in.
The OpenAI saga
The OpenAI saga was the main AI event this week. Sam Altman was fired on November 17th, and we followed the updates every day to see how the OpenAI team and Microsoft tried to bring him back.
November 16 - 18: Sam's Departure and Market Impact
Sam Altman was removed from his role as OpenAI CEO due to reported "communication issues with the board."
Greg Brockman, co-founder and board president of OpenAI, resigned in solidarity.
This news was unexpected for Microsoft and other investors and resulted in a significant market cap loss for Microsoft.
Temporary Leadership Transition
Mira, previously OpenAI's Chief Technology Officer, assumed the role of interim CEO.
Mira made efforts to rehire Sam and Greg.
Weekend Negotiations
Sam gave the OpenAI board a deadline to reach an agreement to bring him and Greg back to OpenAI.
OpenAI employees expressed support for Sam.
Negotiations continued, extending the deadline.
November 19: New CEO and Developments
Emmett Shear, co-founder of Twitch, was appointed as the new CEO of OpenAI.
Several OpenAI employees resigned.
Sam, who had no equity in OpenAI, now works for Microsoft, which owns a significant portion of OpenAI.
Microsoft's Advantage
Microsoft benefited significantly from these events, adding $115 billion in market cap after announcing Sam's joining.
The new venture includes top OpenAI researchers, the GPT-4 lead, AGI researchers, Sam, and Greg.
November 20: Employee Resignation Threat
Approximately 700 out of 770 OpenAI employees signed a letter indicating they might quit if Sam and Greg are not reinstated, and the board resigns.
Ilya Sutskever, a board member, expressed regret over his participation and pledged to reunite the company.
Sam expressed interest in returning as CEO to OpenAI.
November 21: Board Member's Change of Heart
Ilya Sutskever, initially appearing to support Sam Altman's firing, changed his stance, signing an employee letter expressing regret for his involvement.
Despite initial news from Nadella, Sam Altman's transition to Microsoft is not yet finalized, and he is still attempting to return to OpenAI.
Over 745 out of 770 OpenAI employees signed a letter to the board, warning that they might join Microsoft if board members do not resign.
OpenAI approached its competitor, Anthropic, for a potential merger, but the offer was declined.
November 25: Final
Sam Altman's return to OpenAI was confirmed.
Bret Taylor, the new board chair, and Emmett Shear played significant roles in negotiations.
The board will consist of 9 members, with Microsoft having an observer.
Altman initially won't join the board but is expected to in the future.
An investigation into the firing was agreed upon.
The sale of employee OpenAI shares at an $86 billion valuation is back on track.
Why It's Important: These recent events at OpenAI have highlighted the complex dynamics within the organization, involving key figures, employees, and board members. The return of Sam Altman, changes in leadership, and ongoing investigations signal a pivotal moment in OpenAI's journey and the broader AI community.
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Secret AI discovery before firing Sam Altman
OpenAI reportedly made a secret AI breakthrough referred to as Q* (pronounced Q-Star), which played a role in the firing of CEO Sam Altman.
Highlights:
A Warning Letter to the Board: Prior to Sam Altman's dismissal, researchers sent a letter to the board, expressing concerns about a new AI discovery that could pose a threat to humanity.
Q* Demonstrates Simple Math: Q* exhibited the ability to perform basic mathematics, a significant achievement not seen in other AI models.
Towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI): Although simple math might appear modest, it represents a potential step toward developing artificial general intelligence (AGI), a major AI milestone.
A Chilling Pre-Firing Speech: A day before his termination, Sam Altman delivered a speech, raising questions about whether Q* was just a tool or something more akin to a creature.
Why It's Important: The revelation of Q* and its unique capabilities underscores the high stakes and ethical considerations involved in AI development. If confirmed, this breakthrough could have significant implications for the future of AGI and AI's role in society, shedding light on the board's actions regarding Sam Altman's departure.
Top-5 AI tools this week
Gordon RamsAI - Get Gordon’s take on what you’ve cooked (link)
PostNitro - Create carousels for social media in seconds (link)
OnlyPans - Weekly dinner plans with AI (link)
Competely - Get AI-powered competitive analysis in minutes (link)
WingAI - More dates, less rejections (link)
Weekly AI image
Never invite Spider-Man to Thanksgiving dinner... (source)
Weekly Thread
Weekly Midjourney Prompt
Pandas are wearing a life jacket sitting on a gondola, gliding through, the city of Venice, Italy. , Full body, Cartoon Style, in style of Stanley Artgerm Lau, Postcard, vibrant comics, emotive storytelling, tondo, captivating, emotional imagery, ฺBright tone, hyper realistic, hyper-detailed, Intricate details, Beautiful reflection and refraction of a single beam of light on the surface of objects and all surrounding objects, UHD 64K --style raw --ar 3:2 --v 5.2 --s 400
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