Microsoft CEO: Sam Altman may return to OpenAI in some capacity

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella made it clear in interviews with CNBC and Bloomberg TV that Sam Altman, who was dismissed as CEO by the OpenAI board last Friday, may return to OpenAI in some capacity. Although Sam Altman previously announced his intention to join Microsoft's newly formed artificial intelligence research team along with former OpenAI president Greg Brockman and several former OpenAI researchers. "Obviously, if Sam Altman and Greg Brockman are not at OpenAI, we want them to have a great home," Nadella told CNBC. When asked if Altman would return to OpenAI, Nadella added: " It's up to the OpenAI board, management and employees to decide... [Microsoft] clearly chooses to work with OpenAI, and obviously it depends on whether OpenAI employees stay there or come to Microsoft, so I'm open to both options. " Nadella's response appears to confirm a report from The Verge, which claimed that Altman's move to Microsoft has not yet been finalized. According to reports, OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, the mastermind behind Altman's departure, recently changed his mind, and only two of OpenAI's three remaining board members can bring Altman back. Nadella also said that Microsoft hopes to see "some changes in governance" of OpenAI in the future, including changes in investor relations. It is reported that Microsoft, other supporters of OpenAI, and most OpenAI employees were notified of Altman's dismissal "minutes" before the news was announced. OpenAI is governed by a non-profit organization with a board of directors on which investors, including Microsoft, which has invested more than $10 billion in OpenAI to date, have no seats on the board. Nadella told CNBC: "It's clear that some changes have to happen in terms of governance - we will have a good conversation with their board and work through this as things develop." (TechCrunch)