Elon Musk on OpenAI board action: ’The world needs to know if potentially dangerous…’

Billionaire Elon Musk has stirred the pot amid the very public back-and-forth between ChatGPT-parent OpenAI's ex-CEO, employees, investors, and board.

With the situation seemingly unstable after CEO Sam Altman was removed, investors being blindsided, pressure on the board to reinstate Altman, and ultimate fall-through of discussions, Musk has continuously responded to posts on his social media site X, participating in the peanut gallery surrounding the fiasco.

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'Potentially Dangerous'?

Musk's volley came in response to a post on X, formerly Twitter, by OpenAI co-founder and board member Ilya Sutskevar, who wrote: "I deeply regret my participation in the board's actions. I never intended to harm OpenAI. I love everything we've built together and I will do everything I can to reunite the company."

"Why did you take such a drastic action? If OpenAI is doing something potentially dangerous to humanity, the world needs to know," wrote Musk in response.

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The post reignited debate around artificial intelligence (AI) ethics and "shady" company dealings behind closed doors among Musk's host of followers. Many agreed with wanting to know the closed-door reasons behind Altman's sudden dismissal, while others posted an older Musk interview where he "predicted" Microsoft would "soon take control" of OpenAI.

Notably, Musk served on the OpenAI Board till 2018. The departure was not all rosy, as per Semafor.

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What's going on with OpenAI?

Investors in OpenAI, the parent company of generative artificial intelligence application ChatGPT, are considering legal action against the company's board, following the removal of CEO Sam Altman, as per a Reuters report quoting sources.

OpenAI's investors are concerned about a mass exodus of employees following Altman's ouster, they told the news agency. Notably, more than 500 of the company's 700 employees had written to the board threatening to leave if Altman was not reinstated.

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The sources told Reuters that investors are consulting with legal advisors to explore their available options. However, it remains uncertain whether any legal action against OpenAI will be pursued.

Further, Altman, in a series of tweets, has communicated a message of unity and commitment towards OpenAI's ongoing operations and its partnership with Microsoft. Amid significant leadership transitions, Altman's tweets reflect an undeterred focus on the organisation's mission and its collaboration with the tech giant.

In one of the tweets, Altman underscored the shared priority between himself and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella to ensure the flourishing future of OpenAI.

Also Read: Sam Altman, fired by OpenAI, to join Microsoft, announces Satya Nadella

“We are committed to fully providing continuity of operations to our partners and customers. The OpenAI/Microsoft partnership makes this very doable," he wrote.