--- title: "In Stunning Reversal, OpenAI Rehires Sam Altman" description: "After an extremely confusing five days, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has made his triumphant return to helm the ChatGPT maker once again." date: "2023-11-22" modified: "2023-11-22" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/in-stunning-reversal-openai-rehires-sam-altman" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "OpenAI" tags: - "microsoft" - "OpenAI" - "sam altman" - "the digest" --- # In Stunning Reversal, OpenAI Rehires Sam Altman ![After an extremely confusing five days, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has made his triumphant return to helm the ChatGPT maker once again.]() *\Image: Drew Angerer/Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Uno Reverse After an [extremely confusing five days](), OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has made his triumphant return to helm the ChatGPT maker once again. In a [statement]() released late Tuesday evening, the company said it had "reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO" — but with a reshuffled non-profit board, which oversees the company's for-profit arm that Altman runs. The news could mark the end of a messy custody battle, with the company churning through [several]() [ersatz CEOs]() before landing back on the mercurial Altman Meanwhile, the [vast majority of OpenAI employees]() sided with Altman, threatening to leave en masse unless Altman was reinstated. Now that he's returned as CEO, the company's governing board likely avoided a mass mutiny — and having Altman snatched up by major OpenAI investor Microsoft, who quickly [offered him a cushy CEO position]() after news emerged that he'd had been booted. ## Shuffleboard Quora CEO Adam D'Angelo was already a member and remains on the board. Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor, who will be the board's chair, is new to the gig. Meanwhile, OpenAI's [esoteric]() chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, who led the rebellion against Altman but [later regretted his actions](), has now lost his board seat. Altman also [reportedly had a huge falling out]() with Helen Toner, former board member and strategy director at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, who is also not returning. Confoundingly, we're [still none the wiser]() as to why Altman was actually thrown out last week. All we know so far is that the decision wasn't "made in response to malfeasance or anything related to our financial, business, safety, or security/privacy practices," according to a [Saturday memo]() sent to staff by OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap. The dust is very much still settling — and more details are likely to emerge in the coming days, so stay tuned. **More on OpenAI:** *[OpenAI Secretly Tried to Merge With Anthropic]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()