OpenAI removes CEO Sam Altman

OpenAI, the company responsible for ChatGPT, has parted ways with CEO Sam Altman, the firm stated Friday in a blog post suggesting that he had lied to the board of directors.

"Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities," the statement read. "The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI."

The board did not offer much in the way of detail behind its finding, but did highlight further leadership changes. Greg Brockman will also step down as chairman of the board while Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati will step in as interim CEO.

"OpenAI was deliberately structured to advance our mission: to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all humanity. The board remains fully committed to serving this mission. We are grateful for Sam’s many contributions to the founding and growth of OpenAI," the board said in a statement. "At the same time, we believe new leadership is necessary as we move forward. As the leader of the company’s research, product, and safety functions, Mira is exceptionally qualified to step into the role of interim CEO. We have the utmost confidence in her ability to lead OpenAI during this transition period."

The company has since moved to begin the search process for a permanent CEO. 

Prior to his ouster, Altman had emerged as one of the most recognizable faces in the artificial intelligence industry and had been a vocal advocate for legislation to regulate AI to minimize its risks.

He does not appear to have publicly commented on his ouster as of press time and Altman's most recent tweet refers to a pause in new ChatGPT Plus sign ups.

"[W]e are pausing new ChatGPT Plus sign-ups for a bit :( the surge in usage post devday has exceeded our capacity and we want to make sure everyone has a great experience. you can still sign-up to be notified within the app when subs reopen," it read.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.