Several OpenAI executives and investors want to reinstate Sam Altman as CEO, but have reached an impasse over the composition and role of the board, according to people familiar with the matter. Altman is open to returning and wants to replace existing board members, people familiar with the matter said.
The board of directors agreed in principle to resign, but refused to formally resign as of press time. The central figure in negotiations is Microsoft's CEO, who represents the majority shareholder, either a board candidate or a Microsoft executive.
According to people familiar with the matter, in the weeks before Altman was removed from his post, he had been working hard to raise billions of dollars in funding from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund for his AI chip company. The project was code-named "Tigris" and was in its early stages.
Tigris is designed to produce AI chips that compete with Nvidia, and Altman has also been seeking to raise funds for an AI-focused hardware device that he is developing with former Apple design chief Jony Ive.
Related articles: