OpenAI Turmoil: Tech world reacts as employees threaten to resign and join Microsoft

Posted by Admin November 21, 2023 Tech

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PALO ALTO — OpenAI could see a mass exodus of employees due to the board’s removal of co-founder Sam Altman as CEO on Friday.

More than 500 of them sent a letter to the board threatening to follow Altman to Microsoft. Following the news of the potential resignations, Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff made a pitch to any OpenAI employees who are leaving.

Salesforce will match any OpenAI researcher who has tendered their resignation full cash & equity OTE to immediately join our Salesforce Einstein Trusted AI research team under Silvio Savarese. Send me your cv directly to ceo@salesforce.com. Einstein is the most successful… pic.twitter.com/1RXoc9ekeo

— Marc Benioff (@Benioff) November 20, 2023

Dr. Muddu Sudhakar, CEO and co-founder of Aisera, an AI company specializing in AI copilots and Large Language Models, voiced his perspective on this unfolding situation, joining numerous tech figures reacting to the news.

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“OpenAI has a nonprofit organization and a for-profit organization. They have a conflict of those, and they’re trying to resolve it. I wish this could’ve happened 15 years back when social media was going through this,” commented Dr. Sudhakar.

Offering insight into the implications of the recent events, he added, “To me, what just happened this weekend is actually something good for society — for them to have a discussion to choose nonprofit over for-profit or whatever reason this is happening at OpenAI. At least they’re having a discussion.”

Addressing the concerns surrounding the future of the AI industry due to the situation at OpenAI, Sudhakar remains optimistic.

“I am a big fan of OpenAI. I think they’re my heroes. They’re helping us and humankind, but it’s their internal politics that’s happening. But I think what Microsoft did was brilliant with the hiring of Sam and Greg to protect all their partnerships.”

Reflecting on the larger landscape, Sudhakar expressed, “Over the last two years, I’ve met so many CEOs that came back. A lot of people are coming back from Texas or from Florida. AI is regenerating; it’s like being back into the Gold Rush days.”

As the tech industry witnesses this unexpected turmoil at OpenAI, Sudhakar emphasizes the significance of ongoing discussions and decisions within such organizations, underlining their impact not only on the industry itself but on society as a whole.