--- title: "Tech CEOs Freaked Out About Sam Altman’s Firing in a Giant Group Chat" description: "A giant group chat full of tech CEOs mobilized in the wake of Sam Altman's firing from OpenAI — and it may have gotten him rehired." date: "2023-12-12" modified: "2023-12-12" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tech-ceos-group-chat-openai" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "OpenAI" tags: - "OpenAI" - "sam altman" - "silicon valley" - "the digest" --- # Tech CEOs Freaked Out About Sam Altman’s Firing in a Giant Group Chat ![A giant group chat full of tech CEOs mobilized in the wake of Sam Altman's firing from OpenAI — and it may have gotten him rehired.]() *\Image: Justin Sullivan via Getty / Futurism\* ## Boys' DM In yet another [deep dive look]() into some of the [unreported details]() about OpenAI's [Thanksgiving massacre](), a bunch of new information has been revealed — including that the failed coup mobilized more than a hundred tech bigwigs in a WhatsApp group chat. According to [a new story in the ]()*[New York Times]()* about the debacle, on the day the firm's board fired OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over vague allegations of dishonesty, the giant group text lit up as such tech giants as Meta's Mark Zuckerberg — Meta, it should be noted, also [owns WhatsApp]() — began trying to figure out what the hell had happened. It's unclear whether Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky was in that group chat or merely heard about it on the news or through the grapevine, but as the *NYT* reports, he was one of the first allies to rush to Altman's defense following his expulsion. Chesky reportedly asked Altman what he could do to help, and the since-reinstated CEO responded that he wanted to talk things through, the paper's sources explained. During that discussion, the 38-year-old OpenAI cofounder floated the idea of creating a new startup, but the Airbnb chief executive offered a different perspective. "You should be willing to fight back at least a little more," Chesky told Altman. ## War Room As reports have indicated, he did — first by [returning to OpenAI's board](), [getting shot down](), and then ultimately by [being reinstated]() following a [massive internal protest](). Some of that fighting back, the report expounds, took place at [Altman's $27 mansion]() in San Francisco overlooking Alcatraz Island. Whether [taking to social media]() to [decry his firing]() or privately texting fellow tech colleagues, it seems clear that Silicon Valley had Altman's back — and that backing seems to have made all the difference. This insider look at the chaos surrounding the "[Turkey-Shoot Clusterfuck]()," as Microsoft employees called Altman's surprise firing just before Thanksgiving, drives home not just how blindsided everyone was by the sacking, but also how rapidly power players in the tech world responded. Though it might not be shocking to anyone who's rubbed shoulders with Palo Altans, it's a pretty big deal nonetheless that these close-knit networks of influence are being exposed. **More on OpenAI:** [*Elon Musk Trying to Poach Scientist Who Turned on Sam Altman*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()