The tech industry was gripped by a dramatic power struggle at OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, which saw its CEO, Sam Altman, fired, replaced twice, and eventually reinstated within five days. This tumultuous period began on Friday, November 17, when the OpenAI board of directors abruptly announced Altman's departure, stating he "was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities." OpenAI CTO Mira Murati was initially appointed interim CEO.

OpenAI, founded in December 2015 by a group of visionaries including Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and Ilya Sutskever, among others, began as a non-profit AI research organization with a mission to advance artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity. Over time, it evolved into a capped-profit company to secure funding, notably a significant investment from Microsoft, allowing it to pursue ambitious research goals like Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) while maintaining its foundational mission. Sam Altman officially became CEO in 2019.

The news of Altman's firing sent shockwaves globally. Greg Brockman, cofounder and president, who was initially removed as board chair but expected to stay, quickly announced his resignation in protest. His account detailed a Thursday evening text from chief scientist Ilya Sutskever to Altman, leading to a Friday Google Meet where Altman was fired by the entire board (excluding Brockman). Three senior researchers—Jakub Pachocki, Aleksander Madry, and Szymon Sidor—also resigned. Rumours surfaced, particularly from tech journalist Kara Swisher, suggesting a "misalignment" between OpenAI's profit-driven side, represented by Altman, and the non-profit side championed by Sutskever and the board, who reportedly had concerns about the company's more profit-driven direction.

By Saturday, major investor Microsoft, led by CEO Satya Nadella, expressed commitment to its partnership with OpenAI but privately sympathized with Altman. Investors exerted significant pressure on the board for Altman's reinstatement, with reports indicating a deal was nearly reached for his return and the resignation of the existing board. However, this agreement fell apart by Saturday night. Amidst this, a growing number of OpenAI employees publicly voiced their support for Altman, signaling internal disapproval of the board's actions. COO Brad Lightcap clarified in an internal memo that the board's decision was "not made in response to malfeasance or anything related to our financial, business, safety, or security/privacy practices," attributing it to a "breakdown in communication between Sam and the board."

Sunday saw continued efforts to bring Altman back, with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella reportedly becoming personally involved in the discussions. Interim CEO Mira Murati and COO Brad Lightcap also pushed the board to reinstate Altman, but the directors resisted. Negotiations ultimately collapsed, and OpenAI announced former Twitch executive Emmett Shear as its new interim CEO. During this chaotic period, The Information reported that OpenAI's board even approached Dario Amodei, co-founder and CEO of rival Anthropic, about a potential merger and offered him the CEO role, which he declined.

Monday brought another dramatic turn when Satya Nadella announced that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, along with other colleagues, would be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team. This raised questions about Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI, which Nadella reiterated commitment to, even while creating this new internal AI group. Hundreds of OpenAI employees threatened to resign and join Microsoft in solidarity with Altman. Furthermore, Ilya Sutskever, whose actions were central to Altman's initial ouster, publicly expressed deep regret for his participation in the board's actions, stating his intention to reunite the company. Reports also emerged that Altman had previously attempted to remove board member Helen Toner over a paper critical of OpenAI, contributing to the "predicament."

Finally, by Tuesday and early Wednesday, a resolution was reached. OpenAI announced an "agreement in principle" for Sam Altman to return as CEO. A new "initial" board was formed, including Bret Taylor (Chair), former US Secretary of the Treasury Larry Summers, and Quora founder Adam D'Angelo, signaling a significant overhaul of the company's governance. While Altman's return brought an end to the immediate crisis, many questions remain unanswered regarding the board's specific concerns about his candor and the long-term implications for OpenAI's structure and mission. Elon Musk, a former co-founder, had also reportedly released a now-deleted letter citing allegations of misconduct against Altman by employees.