OpenAI: Why was CEO Sam Altman sacked? Lack of transparency, personal issues, power struggle and more

livemint.com:

OpenAI’s board made the shocking decision to fire Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman on the Friday before Thanksgiving, it offered little detail beyond a statement that the leader of the artificial intelligence startup was not “consistently candid" with its directors. The statement, devoid of any details, was the opening volley in a power struggle that played out almost entirely behind closed doors.

Privately, Altman and the board jockeyed over what to say publicly and when, according to people familiar with the situation. At one point, during the discussions about Altman’s possible return as CEO, he offered to publicly apologize for misrepresenting some board members’ views in conversations when he was lobbying for a director’s removal, the people said.

But the board was concerned that an apology in relation to one incident could make it sound like it was the sole reason he had been fired, one person said, and the directors believed the issues were deeper. The board has declined to elaborate on its reasoning, citing an ongoing independent investigation, but more details are surfacing around the decision-making.

According to multiple people familiar with the board’s thinking who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations, the directors’ move was the culmination of months spent mulling issues around Altman’s strategic maneuvering and a perceived lack of transparency in his communications with directors. In a statement, an OpenAI spokesperson told Bloomberg News, “We look forward to the findings of the board’s independent review.