OpenAI's Sam Altman returns to the board after an investigation

Sam Altman is returning to the board of directors of OpenAI, the exclusive group that has full control over the development of ChatGPT. The decision comes four months after Altman's mysterious dismissal, which sparked protests from more than 700 OpenAI employees and threats to leave the company.

Here's What We Know

An investigation by outside law firm WilmerHale into the incident in November has concluded. The investigation determined that Sam Altman was fired due to a loss of trust between the previous board and Altman himself. The investigation included numerous interviews with members of OpenAI's previous board, OpenAI's executive directors, advisors to the previous board, and other relevant witnesses. More than 30,000 documents were also reviewed and various corporate actions were evaluated.

Based on the data collected by WilmerHale and following the recommendations of the Special Committee, the board expressed full confidence in the continued leadership of OpenAI by Sam Altman.

Questions remain unanswered as to what soured Altman's relationship with the previous board. Ilya Sutskever, Tasha Mccauley and Helen Toner stepped down from their positions on the board in November following Altman's dismissal. OpenAI chief scientist and co-founder Ilya Sutzkever is still in talks to stay with the company.

Source: OpenAI, The Information