Who is on the OpenAI Board that fired Sam Altman? Take a look

Mira Murati, who previously worked behind the scenes at ChatGPT-maker OpenAI as chief technology officer (CTO), has been appointed as the company's interim CEO with immediate effect as the company seeks a permanent replacement.

Murati's appointment comes after OpenAI in a recent statement announced the departure of co-founder and CEO, Sam Altman.

The company said an internal review highlighted Altman's lack of consistent transparency in communications with the board of directors. Consequently, the board lost confidence in his ability to lead OpenAI effectively.

OpenAI’s board of directors consists of OpenAI chief scientist Ilya Sutskever, independent directors Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, technology entrepreneur Tasha McCauley, and Georgetown Center for Security and Emerging Technology’s Helen Toner. We take a look

OpenAI's Chief Scientist, Ilya Sutskever FRS

Born around 1985/86, Sutskever is a Russian-born Israeli-Canadian computer scientist specialising in machine learning. He co-founded OpenAI and holds a prominent role within the organisation.

Known for his contributions to deep learning, Sutskever is credited as a co-inventor, alongside Alex Krizhevsky and Geoffrey Hinton, of the neural network, AlexNet. He is also among the co-authors of the AlphaGo paper.

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He has a BSc in mathematics and computer science from the University of Toronto under the mentorship of Geoffrey Hinton. His professional trajectory includes a brief postdoctoral stint with Andrew Ng at Stanford University, followed by a return to the University of Toronto to join DNNResearch, a venture stemming from Hinton's research group.

Google later acquired DNNResearch, appointing Sutskever as a research scientist at Google Brain, where he contributed to significant developments, including the creation of the sequence-to-sequence learning algorithm and work on TensorFlow. Transitioning from Google in late 2015, Sutskever took on the role of co-founder and chief scientist at OpenAI.

His most recent announcement in 2023 reveals his co-leadership of OpenAI's ambitious "Superalignment" project, aimed at addressing the alignment of superintelligences within a four-year timeframe. He emphasised the potential advent of superintelligence within this decade.

OpenAI independent director Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo

An American internet entrepreneur born on August 21, 1984, D'Angelo is known for co-founding and helming Quora. Previously, he held pivotal positions at Facebook, serving as its chief technology officer and later as vice president of engineering until 2008. Notably, in June 2009, he embarked on the Quora venture, personally injecting $20 million during their Series B financing phase.

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D'Angelo graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science from the California Institute of Technology in 2002. His involvement has extended to advisory and investment roles, notably advising and investing in Instagram before its acquisition by Facebook in 2012. In 2018, he joined the board of directors of OpenAI.

OpenAI independent director technology entrepreneur Tasha McCauley

Tasha McCauley, an independent director at OpenAI, is recognised for her work as a technology entrepreneur in Los Angeles. She’s also known in the public eye as the spouse of American actor Joseph Gordon.

McCauley serves as the CEO of GeoSim Systems, a pioneering company engaged in developing 3D city modelling systems. Her recent endeavours at GeoSim Systems focus on the creation of highly detailed and interactive virtual models of real cities. The approach, termed "reality capture," constructs expansive virtual environments using real-world data. These models find applications in autonomous vehicle training, real estate, insurance, first responder training, video games, and more.

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She has also co-founded Fellow Robots. Additionally, she held roles teaching robotics and served as the Director of the Autodesk Innovation Lab at Singularity University.

OpenAI independent director Georgetown Center for Security and Emerging Technology’s Helen Toner

Helen Toner is Director of Strategy and Foundational Research Grants at Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET). She spearheads initiatives, leveraging her extensive expertise, according to the university website. Simultaneously, Toner serves voluntarily on the board of directors for OpenAI.

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Prior to her leadership at CSET, Toner's tenure as a Senior Research Analyst at Open Philanthropy offered her a platform to advise policymakers and grantmakers on AI strategies.

She holds an MA in Security Studies from Georgetown, and a BSc in Chemical Engineering, and a Diploma in Languages from the University of Melbourne. Her multidisciplinary background fortifies her nuanced approach to AI policy and research, the university added.