OpenAI announces Sam Altman to return as CEO

In what could be the day's biggest plot twist for the tech industry, OpenAI on Wednesday announced that Sam Altman is returning to the company as CEO.

"We have reached an agreement in principle for Sam Altman to return to OpenAI as CEO with a new initial board of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D'Angelo," the company said in a post on X.

"We are collaborating to figure out the details. Thank you so much for your patience through this."

The development comes just a couple of days since OpenAI announced that the former head of Twitch would be interim CEO. Emmett Shear acknowledged his new role on Monday morning, while also acknowledging “the process and communications” around Altman’s firing Friday were “handled very badly” and damaged trust in the company.

Seventy-two hours after he was fired for "not being candid enough" with the board of directors of OpenAI, it was announced that Altman would join the company's top backer Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team.

More to follow

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