Sam Altman, the former CEO of OpenAI, has reportedly been dismissed from the company for allegedly withholding information from the board. Helen Toner, a former board member, revealed during a recent episode of the Ted AI podcast that Altman had lied to the board members before they decided to fire him. One example she gave was Altman not informing the board about the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Cointelegraph has reached out to OpenAI for comment on the matter.
Altman was initially ousted from the board and removed from his CEO position in November 2023 due to allegations of inconsistent communication with the board. However, this decision was met with dissatisfaction from the company’s employees, as 505 out of 700 staff members signed a letter demanding the resignation of the board. As a result, Altman was reinstated within a few days.
The lack of transparent communication from Altman allegedly made it difficult for the board to make critical safety and security recommendations for OpenAI’s projects. Additionally, Altman is said to have hidden his ownership of the OpenAI Startup Fund from the board members. The fund, which was established in 2021 with a $175 million investment, focuses on supporting AI, technology, healthcare, and education companies that have a positive global impact. However, OpenAI has since changed the fund’s governance structure to remove Altman’s ownership and control.
According to a filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 29, Ian Hathaway, a partner at the fund since 2021, now controls the OpenAI Startup Fund. In other news, Hong Kong streaming firm Asia Express has announced plans to purchase $100 million worth of cryptocurrency, while Worldcoin has faced sanctions.