According to news on December 25, technology executives in Silicon Valley are a group of people who are unpredictable. On a daily basis, they challenge each other and even get into a shouting match at a birthday party about the dangers of artificial intelligence. But in tough times, they stick together to make sure everyone keeps their job.

According to reports, during the unexpected departure of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman from OpenAI last month, short-term rental platform Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky and Emmett Shear, who served as OpenAI's interim CEO at the time, paved the way for Altman's reinstatement.

Chesky was one of the first people Altman contacted when he learned he was fired from OpenAI. According to reports, the two have been old friends for more than ten years, and Altman mentored Chesky when he served as a consultant at the startup incubator YCombinator in his early years.

According to reports, on November 17, a few minutes after Altman learned that he was fired from the OpenAI board of directors, he texted Chesky and said: "This is too cruel." Chesky immediately had a video call with Altman and company president Greg Brockman (Greg Brockman), who was also removed from the OpenAI board of directors. When the two talked that day, Chesky asked Altman in detail about the reason for his dismissal from the board. Altman speculated that it might be related to the quarrels and complaints between himself and other executives.

Chesky asked questions not just out of curiosity. Later that day, Chesky called OpenAI’s largest partner, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and said: “Altman has the support of the entire Silicon Valley.”

When Chesky's other "mentor" Hill briefly took charge of OpenAI two days later, the two reportedly "cleared the way" for Altman's return.

Hill and Altman's relationship dates back to their time together at Y Combinator. According to reports, the two met as YCombinator’s first alumni. Hill was also a part-time partner at YCombinator during Altman's tenure as YCombinator's president.

Beyond their shared familiarity with startup circles, Hill clearly believed Altman was the right person for the company's CEO. He seemed skeptical of the board's decision to fire Altman.

On November 19, Hill became the interim CEO of OpenAI. He said that Altman's departure was "handled very poorly" and posted on social media

Hill also said in a follow-up post on X that he was "glad to be part of the solution" when Altman was reinstated a few days later.

That weekend, Altman gathered some of Silicon Valley's most influential CEOs and investors to support him, including Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and founder of Khosla Ventures, OpenAI's first venture capital arm, Ron Conway, an early investor in Google and Facebook, and Nadella. They advised Altman and negotiated with the OpenAI board over the phone. A few days later, Altman returned to the company as OpenAI’s CEO.

The drama of Ultraman's dismissal and swift return follows a specific pattern throughout his career. Over the past two decades, Altman has lost the trust of several executives at the three companies he led. At every critical moment, Ultraman not only made a comeback, but also climbed to more important positions with the help of powerful allies.

According to people familiar with the matter, Loopt, the first social media startup founded by Altman, twice urged board members to fire Altman on the grounds that Altman’s behavior was deceptive and chaotic. But Altman, backed by investor Sequoia Capital, stayed on until Loopt was sold in 2012.

Two years later, Altman was unexpectedly chosen by co-founder Paul Graham to lead the startup incubator YCombinator.

YCombinator has backed startups Airbnb and Dropbox. As the head of the company, Altman not only provided advice to Chesky and others on Airbnb's rapid development, but also screened out promising startups to help the technology giant make big money.

Altman was asked to resign from Y Combinator in 2019 after partners accused him of putting personal projects, including OpenAI, ahead of his presidential responsibilities, according to people familiar with the matter.

This fall, Altman also faced a crisis of trust at OpenAI. In early October, OpenAI's chief scientist approached some board members and recommended that Altman be fired, citing about 20 examples of how he believed Altman had misled OpenAI executives over the years. That set off weeks of closed-door negotiations that ended with the board announcing Altman's firing just days before Thanksgiving.

But Altman’s talent for dealmaking, talent discovery, and publicity not only helped OpenAI become a company currently valued at $86 billion, but also won the support of many people. After his firing, Altman mobilized high-profile supporters and encouraged employees to leave en masse.

Altman wrote on his personal blog two months before leaving Y Combinator: "A big secret is that you can bend the world to your will to a large extent."

An OpenAI spokesperson said, "The senior leadership team unanimously asked Altman to return as CEO and the board of directors to resign, and more than 95% of our employees signed an open letter supporting these actions. The strong support of the team emphasizes that he is a very effective CEO."