Alexander Lewis 
Nov 30, 2023
Microsoft has announced that it’s going to be granted a non-voting, observer board seat at OpenAI.
The move has dispelled concerns regarding Microsoft's interest in the startup, following a month of tumultuous events that involved the removal and subsequent reappointment of CEO Sam Altman.
OpenAI has been closely linked with Microsoft ever since the technology company invested $13 billion into OpenAI and incorporated its AI models into various Microsoft applications. Earlier, shortly after Altman was ousted from OpenAI, Microsoft had refused to grab a formal seat on the startup's board of directors, leaving the company without unreliable options, CNN reported.
Read more: OpenAI to not grant board seats to Microsoft, other backers
“We clearly made the right choice to partner with Microsoft and I’m excited that our new board will include them as a non-voting observer,” Altman said in a note to staff posted on OpenAI’s website.
While praising the efforts of the team, he noted that OpenAI did not experience any staff departures during the upheaval. “Now that we’re through all of this, we didn’t lose a single employee. You stood firm for each other, this company, and our mission,” Altman wrote.
He further mentioned that a board of directors, consisting of individuals such as former Salesforce CEO Bret Taylor, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo, would be responsible for establishing a new board for OpenAI.
Resumed her role as the company’s CTO, Mira Murati previously served as OpenAI’s CTO and briefly held the position of interim CEO earlier this month. Similarly, Greg Brockman has re-assumed the position of OpenAI president.
Ready to preside over the new board, Taylor conveyed in a message on OpenAI’s website his dedication to enhancing the organisation's corporate governance. Later, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), he reflected on his intentions to leave the board once it’s well established and the company has achieved stability.
“As I have communicated to board colleagues and management when these transitional tasks have been completed, I intend to step away and leave the oversight of OpenAI in the good hands of board colleagues,” Taylor tweeted.
