OpenAI’s Unique Setup Led to Governance Debacle, Worker Revolt

The boardroom crisis that enveloped artificial intelligence pioneer and ChatGPT creator OpenAI offers a cautionary tale for startups and other venture capital-backed firms trying to mesh an altruistic vision with corporate realities.

The company’s board ousted its founder and CEO Sam Altman on Friday, replaced him with an interim CEO, and then replaced her less than 24 hours later with former Twitch executive Emmett Shear after reported disagreements over the ethical use of the nascent technology. Employee outrage quickly built up, with almost 95% of the company’s workforce threatening to resign in protest of Altman’s ouster by Monday afternoon. ...