At an all-person meeting on Thursday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman denied that there were any plans to acquire a “massive stake” in the company, calling the information “not true.”
In a meeting conducted by video, both Altman and fund chairman Sarah Fryer said investors were concerned that Altman no longer had a stake in the high-value artificial intelligence company he co-founded nearly nine years ago. Names are not mentioned because the meeting is for employees only.
“There are no current plans here,” Altman said of acquiring an equity stake, the person said.
OpenAI President Brett Taylor told CNBC in a statement that although the board had talked about the matter, no specific figures were on the table.
“The board has discussed whether compensating Sam through equity would benefit the company and our work, but no specific figures have been discussed or a decision made,” Taylor said.
The meeting late Thursday followed the board’s decision to consider restructuring the company into a for-profit business, according to a separate person familiar with the matter. If there is a change, the nonprofit division will be a separate entity, said the person, who asked not to be named because no plans have been finalized.
Even as directors consider the future of OpenAI, key executives continue to walk out the door.
On Wednesday, three executives announced their departures. OpenAI chief technology officer Meera Murati, who is serving briefly as interim CEO, said she is leaving after six and a half years. Later in the day, Bob McGrew, president of research, and Barrett Soph, vice president of research, said they were leaving the company.
In an interview Thursday at Italian Tech Week, Altman said, “I think it will be a great change for everyone involved, and I hope OpenAI will be strong for it, as we are for all our changes.”
Contrary to some media reports, Altman said the departures are not related to a potential restructuring of the company.
“Most of the things I’ve seen are completely false,” Altman said at the event in Turin, Italy. “But we’re thinking about it, and our board has been independent for almost a year now, and we’re thinking about what it takes to get to our next level. But I think it’s about people getting ready for new chapters in their lives. A new generation of leadership.”
Murat wrote “She is stepping away because I want to create the time and space to do my own research,” a note to the company said. He said his focus would be on ensuring a “smooth transition”.
Ahead of Thursday’s moves, OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutzkever and former security chief John Leake announced their departures in May. Co-founder John Shulman said last month he would be joining rival Anthropic.
OpenAI supports MicrosoftThe company is currently pursuing a financing round valued at more than $150 billion, people familiar with the matter told CNBC. Thrive Capital is leading the round and plans to invest $1 billion, with Tiger Global also planning to join.
Although OpenAI has been in high growth mode since ChatGPT launched in late 2022, it has simultaneously been mired in controversy and management departures, with some current and former employees worried that the company is growing too fast to operate safely.
Altman was fired in November before being quickly reinstated. Almost all of OpenAI’s employees signed an open letter saying they were quitting in response to the group’s move. A few days later, Altman returned to the company, and Muratti moved from interim CEO back to CTO.
See: A study of Altman
