OpenAI researchers get job offers from Salesforce CEO; Sam Altman says, ‘We have more unity than before’

Amid the ongoing controversy over control of ChatGPT maker OpenAI, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff has thrown his hat into the ring to woo the company's AI researchers. In a bid to woo the OpenAI researchers, Benioff offered to match their cash and equity to join his company's Einstein AI research team, and even suggested that these researchers could send their CVs directly to him.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Benioff wrote: “Salesforce will match any OpenAI researcher who has tendered their resignation full cash & equity OTE to immediately join our Salesforce Einstein Trusted AI research team under Silvio Savarese. Send me your cv directly to ceo@salesforce.com. Einstein is the most successful enterprise AI Platform completing 1 Trillion predictive & generative transactions this week! Join our Trusted AI Enterprise Revolution”

Benioff even went to the trouble of responding directly to posts on Twitter from OpenAI employees threatening to join Microsoft if the board didn't resign.One of OpenAI employees, Steven Heidel wrote in a post on X, “happy to join microsoft, still not using teams though”

The Salesforce CEO, in an attempt to woo the disconcerted OpenAI employee, noted that he won't have to use Microsoft Teams at Salesforce and can use Slack for their meetings instead.

Sam Altman's message to OpenAI employees:

Meanwhile, former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman almost preempted such an attempt to woo his team, suggesting that all of his former employees will be working together ‘some way or other’.

In a post on X Altman wrote, "we have more unity and commitment and focus than ever before. we are all going to work together some way or other, and i’m so excited. one team, one mission."

Altman's statement comes at an interesting time, with around 700 of OpenAI's 770 employees threatening to join Microsoft if the OpenAI board, which fired their high-profile CEO, does not resign.

An open letter signed by the 700-odd OpenAI employees, including co-founder Ilya Sutskever, who was earlier instrumental in getting Sam Altman fired, read “Nearly all of OpenAI’s employees have threatened to quit and follow ousted leader Sam Altman to work at the company’s biggest investor, Microsoft Corp., unless the current board resigns.”

Interestingly, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Monday announced that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman will be joining the tech giant to lead a new advanced AI research team.