OpenAI Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap addressed the dismissal of CEO Sam Altman in a brief message to employees on Saturday.
Everyone was taken by surprise and he spoke with the board several times to try to understand the decision, Lightcap wrote in a memo obtained by CNBC.
“We can say with certainty that the board’s decision was not made in bad faith or in response to anything related to our financial, business, security, or security/privacy practices,” he wrote.
Lightcap reported that there was a “breakdown in communication” between Altman and the board.
He wrote that discussions and options regarding the way forward are ongoing and the company remains strong. He told that Microsoft is a fully committed partner.
Here’s the full memo Lightcap shared with employees Saturday morning:
“The Team – Following yesterday’s announcement, which took us all by surprise, we have had a number of conversations with the Board to try to better understand the reasons and process behind their decision. These discussions, and our further Options regarding the route, have been running since this morning.
We can say with certainty that the Board’s decision was not made in bad faith or in response to anything related to our financial, business, security, or security/privacy practices. It was a failure in communication between SAM and the board. Our position as a company remains extremely strong and Microsoft remains fully committed to our partnership.
Meera has our full support as CEO. We still share your concerns about how the process was handled, are working to resolve the situation, and will provide updates as soon as possible.
I’m sure you’re all feeling confused, sad, and maybe even a little scared. We are completely focused on handling this, moving towards resolution and clarity, and getting back to work. Our collective responsibility now is to our peers, partners, users, customers, and the broader world who share our vision of broadly beneficial AGI. Hang in there, we’re behind you 1000%.”
