The high profile case of Sam Altman’s firing by OpenAI board and the subsequent rehiring within five days in 2023 is still fresh in the minds of public. In the aftermath of drama, both Greg Brockman and Sam Altman returned to the company while OpenAI board was reconsituted and its chief scientist and co-founder Ilya Sutskever left the company.
However, we didn’t have much details on what prompted the board of ChatGPT maker to fire its most publicly known face. That is until now, when a new in-depth investigation by The New Yorker has surfaced which notes that Altman’s sudden firing was driven by internal allegations of persistent deception.
Why was Sam Altman fired from OpenAI?
The report notes that OpenAI’s then-chief scientist, Ilya Sutskever, had compiled a detailed list of internal documents which explicitly accused Altman of lying to the board and the company’s staff. Sutskever reportedly worked with like-minded colleagues to compile some 70 pages of Slack messages and HR documents into secret memos, which he sent as disappearing messages to three OpenAI board members.
The memos accused Altman of not only misrepresenting facts to executives and board members but also deceiving them about internal safety protocols. One of the memos reportedly began with a list titled “Sam exhibits a consistent pattern of . . .” with the very first item listed as “Lying.”
Altman was attending a Formula 1 race at Las Vegas when he was asked by Sutsveker to join a video call with the board where he was told he was no longer an employee of OpenAI. The board also released a public statement saying that Altman was fired because he “was not consistently candid in his communications.”
The OpenAI co-founder was rehired by the company in just 5 days after pressure from investors and employees who threatened to quit if Altman wsn’t brought back. Altman wanted the board members who fired him to be removed but the resigning members demanded an independent inquiry into Altman’s conduct
While the review ultimately cleared Altman to remain as CEO, sources close to the inquiry told the publication that it “did not conclude that Sam was a George Washington cherry tree of integrity.”
An investigation was eventually conducted but no written report was published and the findings were limited to oral briefings. While Altman has cleared the ‘review did not conclude that Sam was a George Washington cherry tree of integrity,’ the report quoted someone close to the matter as saying.
Sam Altman’s history at previous companies:
The report also gives details about concerns about Altman’s behaviour which includes accounts from his earlier roles in the Silicon Valley.
At his early startup, Loopt, groups of senior employees reportedly asked the board to fire him as CEO on two occasions, citing concerns over his leadership and lack of transparency. Some of the employees also told the publication that they were struck by his tendency to exaggerate even about the trivial things.
Later, when Altman served as president of the renowned startup incubator Y Combinator, several partners grew frustrated with him and complained to Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham about his tendency to prioritize his personal angel investments over the fund. After a ‘frank’ conversation, Altman agreed to leave but became YC chairman instead.
Both Altman and Graham publicly say that he wasn’t fired but the report notes that Graham privately has been unambigous that Altman was removed becaue of YC partners’ mistrust.
Prior to Altman’s removal, Graham reportedly told his YC coleagues, “Sam had been lying to us all the time.”
OpenAI co-founder labelled a socioparth:
The report notes that after interviewing over a hundred people, several of them raised several of them raises concerns about Altman’s relentless drive for power and his handling of the truth
One unnamed board member told the publication that Altman is “unconstrained by truth” and described him as having an “almost sociopathic lack of concern for the consequences that may come from deceiving someone”.
The report went on to reveal that Aaron Swartz, the brilliant coder, Reddit co-founder and Altman’s early Y Combinator batch mate, also expressed concerns to friends about Altman’s behaviour before his death in 2013. Swartz reportedly told a friend, “You need to understand that Sam can never be trusted. He is a sociopath. He would do anything”.