Sam Altman opens up about his dismissal from OpenAI, says, “Felt hurt and angry”

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has opened up about circumstances surrounding his dismissal and subsequent reappointment at the Microsoft-backed artificial intelligence company. Following a period of internal clash within the OpenAI board, Altman officially returned to his role as CEO on November 30, just two weeks after his initial termination on November 17.

During an interview with The Verge, Altman disclosed the true motivation behind his acceptance of the board's proposal and shed light on the reasons behind his initial dismissal as the CEO of OpenAI. The tech expert expressed feelings of being "hurt and angry" but ultimately opted to reassume the position.

In the interview, Sam Altman shared that upon receiving the offer to reclaim the role of OpenAI CEO, it "took him a while to get over the ego and emotions." Eventually, he made the decision to accept the proposal presented to him.

"Obviously, I really loved the company and had poured my life force into this for the last four and a half years full time, but really longer than that with most of my time. And we’re making such great progress on the mission that I care so much about, the mission of safe and beneficial AGI," said the OpenAI CEO in the interview.

Removed from OpenAI on November 17, the company's board members asserted that Altman and the top management diverged on his views regarding AI security, contending that the CEO had not been "completely candid" with the board.

When questioned about the reasons behind his dismissal from OpenAI the previous month, Sam Altman chose not to disclose the internal details of the decision. He expressed his openness to the independent investigation into his termination, led by OpenAI's Bret Taylor.

Discussing his decision to reaccept the position, Altman shared with The Verge, "It was really interesting. Saturday morning, some of the board called me and asked if I’d be up for talking about it. And my immediate reaction was sort of one of defiance. It was like, Man, I’m hurt and angry, and I think this sucks."