Microsoft joins OpenAI's board as Sam Altman officially returns as CEO

Following a recent deal in principle, Sam Altman has officially reclaimed his position as CEO of OpenAI.

The company has also announced that Microsoft will have a non-voting observer seat on OpenAI's board. Altman expressed his excitement about the future and gratitude for the team's resilience during a challenging period.

With three out of four board members involved in Altman's initial removal now gone, the new board includes chair Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, and Adam D'Angelo. Microsoft's addition provides more visibility into OpenAI's operations without an official vote in major decisions.

Altman emphasized "zero ill will" toward Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's co-founder and chief scientist, who initially participated in Altman's removal but later reversed his stance. “While Ilya will no longer serve on the board, we hope to continue our working relationship and are discussing how he can continue his work at OpenAI,” Altman stated.

“The fact that we did not lose a single customer will drive us to work even harder for you,” he told employees.