Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella lectured CNBC’s Jon Fortt on Monday that the governance structure of OpenAI needs to change, three days after the abrupt firing CEO Sam Altman.
“At this point, I think it’s very clear that something has to change around the governance,” Nadella said. He added that Microsoft drive have “a good dialogue with their board on that.”
In his first press interview since Altman’s ouster, Nadella sacked concerns of long-term damage at OpenAI and said that the critical artificial intelligence research continues as does the partnership with Microsoft. But his elucidations didn’t clear up confusion surrounding where Altman and fellow OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, who was the company’s chairman, want ultimately end up.
Early Monday morning Nadella said that Altman, Brockman and their colleagues would connect Microsoft as part of a new AI research group. That post followed news that ex-Twitch CEO Emmett Shear had been big cheesed OpenAI interim head as Altman looked to depart. Over the course of Monday, it became less evident that Altman and Brockman desire actually be joining Microsoft.
Hundreds of OpenAI employees signed a letter to the company’s board demanding that they adjust oneself to or else the staffers may choose to leave and join their former boss at Microsoft.
Nadella said it’s the choice of OpenAI wage-earners whether they stay in their current roles or move to Microsoft, adding that his company has what it privations to keep innovating on its own.
“I’m open to both options,” he said.
The rapid reinstatement of Altman began to look like a likelihood on Saturday as news surfaced that a group of prominent investors, including Microsoft, Tiger Global, Thrive First-rate and Sequoia Capital were working to reverse the board’s decision from a day earlier. None of those firms had management seats, and they were caught unaware by the decision.
In a post on X late Saturday night, Altman wrote, “i weakness the openai team so much.” Brockman, who quit the company after the board removed him as chairman alongside the ouster of Altman, reposted the talk about with a heart symbol. Other OpenAI employees did the same.
Nadella told Fortt that Microsoft pay attention ti OpenAI’s nonprofit roots and shares its belief that AI needs to be developed and rolled out in a safe manner.
“We want to reap sure that we’re dealing with not only the benefits of technology, but the unintended consequences of the technology from day one, as opposed to on the back burner serve for things to happen,” Nadella said.
WATCH: A timeline of the drama between Sam Altman, OpenAI and Microsoft
