Wild update:
- interim CEO Mira Murati plans to rehire Sam and Greg, and is in talks with board rep Adam D’Angelo to do so (in what capacity is not yet finalized)
- however, concurrently, the OpenAI board is looking to hire its own CEO, and has reached out to two candidates that
1) After 12 years sitting in the Bloomberg Technology anchor chair, I’m starting a new chapter -- and I’m so excited to finally share it with all of you….
Update:
-
@Sama
and the OpenAI board are now in talks for his possible return, specifically he's speaking with
@adamdangelo
- one scenario, transition board where Sam would serve as director
- meantime
@eshear
has told folks he will leave if the board can't provide evidence of
Context on the negotiations to bring Sam back as CEO of OpenAI:
The biggest sticking point was Sam being on the board. Ultimately, he conceded to not being on the board, at least initially, to close the deal. The hope/expectation is that he will end up on the board eventually.
More from me &
@ashleevance
- active convos happening to reinstate
@sama
including w/ Microsoft and
@satyanadella
- Sam has Satya’s support/confidence whatever he does next
- in one scenario the board could resign
- this is a fast-moving complex negotiation
- Sam is open to
Emmett Shear joining the talks was a turning point in the negotiations. He asked the board to provide concrete evidence of Sam’s wrongdoing. When they did not do so, he said he could not remain in the CEO role, and helped both sides find common ground to get Sam reinstated.
Continuing to add new details to this story on the rift between Sam and Ilya:
-
@sama
is shocked and saddened but "upbeat"
-
@satyanadella
was "blindsided" and is furious
- Sam will likely start another company with all the researchers leaving
@OpenAI
State of play:
- Negotiations for
@Sama
’s return have hit snag over makeup of board
-
@satyanadella
leading the charge on discussions
- Board wants input on new board members before they walk away so they are going through potential new candidates one by one.
@btaylor
seems
The more I watch this interview – the wilder this story seems. Satya insists he hasn’t been given any reason why Sam was fired. THE CEO OF MICROSOFT STILL DOES NOT KNOW WHY: “I’ve not been told about anything…” he tells me.
More updates:
- Some investors pressuring OpenAI board to resign
- Board has considered resigning (all 4 members) but are now balking at doing so
-
@btaylor
on list of possible candidates to replace board should they resign
-
@sama
and
@gdb
won’t return with current board in
One of the biggest tasks ahead for OpenAI is building a new board - one that includes women:
The names of several women were floated including
@laurenepowell
and
@marissamayer
but deemed too close to
@sama
.
@CondoleezzaRice
also considered but dismissed.
We’re told the new
Latest:
- 5pm “deadline” looming
- legal issues really slowing things down. For
@sama
to come back, board would have to issue statement absolving him of wrongdoing. But if they do, that opens them up to legal liability.
- unclear what happens if deadline is passed, but if
10 years ago today, we launched Bloomberg Technology,
@pmarca
was our very 1st guest and I was a newcomer to Silicon Valley.
4 kids, 1 book, ~ 2,600 shows and many hairstyles later, I couldn’t be more proud of the show, my team and the family we’ve built.
(Thread)
Another update:
- talks between Sam and the board center on him coming back *as CEO* —not in any other role.
- Emmett Shear is now part of these negotiations, along with Adam D’Angelo
When
@LisaSu
took over
@AMD
in 2014 it was a $2b company. Now it’s worth $90b!
Her advice to women — be ambitious, run towards problems, take on that big task.
She’s my guest on the latest Studio 1.0.
Folks, the 5pm deadline has obviously come and gone and….
Believe me, we are all trying to finish this sentence for you. And for our future robot overlords 🤖
We are in the middle of a very human power struggle and unfortunately there’s nothing AI can do to help — yet.
My ride in a Cruise. First time without a human driver! 40 min through downtown SF, pretty smooth with almost no issues, except one.
Highlights including kids crossing the street, Waymo & a very large moving truck.
We're now reporting that Sam agreed to an "internal investigation" into the circumstances that led to his firing. Developing story here...and this is my last tweet tonight, I promise.
Confirming what
@karaswisher
just reported about the shape of the talks:
@bchesky
is helping rep
@sama
@btaylor
is playing more of a neutral/central mediator-type party given he doesn’t have as strong ties to either side
@eshear
is repping
@adamdangelo
and the board.
The
I’ve been working on a book about women in tech for the last two years — Lookout for “Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys’ Club of Silicon Valley” on February 6, 2018!
Fave shot from my two days with Mark Zuckerberg. In exchange for a wake surfing lesson and a wide-ranging interview, I gifted him a gallon of sunscreen.🌞
Full episode:
I know as a journalist I am supposed to be skeptical, but after my Apple Vision Pro demo, I am kind of a believer. Like mind = blown. Got literal goosebumps about 30 minutes in. Real test will be how developers show up for the party. Excited to hear your thoughts on Friday!!
Joining me live at the top of the hour —
@andrewyang
to talk about his new
@HumanityForward
campaign and the other big news of the day...5pET
Watch the election latest live:
Just realized the first letters of the words in
@sama
’s first tweet “I Love You All” spell ILYA.
h/t to
@ashleevance
and
@ptrubey
for noticing first. I may be behind, and not sure it’s intentional, but wanted to give this gem of a detail a boost.
i love you all.
today was a weird experience in many ways. but one unexpected one is that it has been sorta like reading your own eulogy while you’re still alive. the outpouring of love is awesome.
one takeaway: go tell your friends how great you think they are.
My sit-down w/ Ethereum creator
@VitalikButerin
on Studio 1.0
- Ethereum upgrades & the network’s future
- why mining will basically disappear
- Bitcoin vs. 💵
-
@jack
’s DeFi, Zuck’s metaverse & the threat/opportunity facing big tech.
I’m heartbroken to hear of the passing of Susan Wojcicki. I always looked up to her as a mother of five who also built and led massive products and teams — and appreciated her willingness to share how she did it including in this old interview from 2016.
In the middle of my sister’s birthday dinner while constantly fielding calls from sources re: OpenAI and my son asks “Mom, can I have fourths?” As in his fourth serving of spaghetti. He did not ask permission for seconds or thirds.
Oh and one more thing, apparently one of the board members got on a plane in the middle of the negotiations and was incommunicado for several hours. Like what?? Which is why I’m sending this last tweet at midnight and you will probably read it in the morning.
Good night!!!😴
2) I will be working with the amazing team at Bloomberg to develop new shows at the intersection of tech, business & culture. We’re starting by turning Studio 1.0 into a premium weekly interview program & will follow w/ innovative limited series. Think capture the zeitgeist!!
There are still big questions about why this happened, how much was due to petty personal issues/egos vs fundamental disagreements about the future of AI.
It’s only humanity at stake. So let’s hope they figure it out. 🙏
YouTube CEO
@nealmohan
tells me exclusively — if OpenAI is using YouTube videos to train Sora, that would be a “clear violation” of their policies (with
@daveyalba
)
The full edition of Studio 1.0 with the largest corporate holder of
#Bitcoin
in the world —
@MicroStrategy
’s
@saylor
— who also happens to be longest running software CEO in history!
Watch:
Or podcast:
5) Bloomberg Tech has been my inspiration, my family, my home -- thousands of interviews, 4 kids, writing Brotopia, a few cameos on HBO’s Silicon Valley, and so many unimaginable memories...
"Irrespective of where
@sama
is, he is working with Microsoft. That was the case on Friday. That is the case today. And I absolutely believe that will be the case tomorrow." --
@satyanadella
tells me.
full interview:
Super proud of what
@Bloomberg
is doing to boost women's voices across our coverage
1. Increasing # of women quoted on Bloomberg TV, in print, on panels
2. Journalists can only speak on gender-diverse panels
3. Funding, offering media training to develop more women commentators
Read more about our global plan to boost the number of women and other diverse sources that we quote in stories, invite on Bloomberg TV and Bloomberg radio and feature in our events’ panels.
Hanging with the man of the hour
@satyanadella
— link to our chat coming shortly! Do the new AI features make you wanna buy one of
@Microsoft
’s new AI PCs??
YES, we are rocking a new studio look but still at home! We have moved into the basement with a monitor behind me which means no more obsessively curated bookshelves but a more pro backdrop. What do we think???
.
@PalmerLuckey
's personal arsenal includes helicopters, nuclear missile silos, a submarine AND a warship.
@emilychangtv
takes a ride and tries her hand at the helm.
Watch The Circuit for more:
I just spoke w/ Mark Zuckerberg who called Trump’s reaction after getting shot “one of the most badass things I’ve ever seen in my life” - though he did not endorse either candidate.
The full interview on the future of AI and social media runs Tuesday.
Mark Zuckerberg said that Donald Trump’s immediate reaction after being shot was “badass” and inspiring — without endorsing the former president.
The Meta CEO spoke exclusively to
@emilychangtv
on The Circuit
Sam wanted the board to be governed by all of humanity. This interview clip w/
@emilychangtv
from June is a good watch.
"The board can fire me, and I think that's important. I think the board over time should get democratized to all of humanity..."
Hanging with my boss
@MikeBloomberg
and other scenes from the Earthshot Prize ceremony with
@BillGates
, Prince William & fans + paparazzi outside the Plaza Hotel
The fate of Silicon Valley & San Francisco according to
@garrytan
, CEO of
@ycombinator
, the most prestigious startup accelerator in the world.
Full episode:
Inside the “coups” - some details on how it all went down, including the “cream-colored couch” and the board member who peaced out ON A PLANE.
With
@rachelmetz
&
@shiringhaffary
Microsoft will likely have board representation, at least as an observer. And possibly a board seat or more — all of this still has to be worked out given potential regulatory issues, etc.
BREAKING: Oracle shorted women and minority workers $400 million in wages by paying them less than other employees, steering them into jobs at lower level positions
Another sticking point: Adam being on the board. He will remain on the board for now. In general, agreeing on new board members seemed to be tough — given there are only three to start.
OpenAI tender offer is on - allowing employees to sell shares, and they have until 1/5 to opt in. Some investors dropped out after Sam firing fiasco, but after he was reinstated there was still enough demand.
Scoop by
@shiringhaffary
@EdLudlow
@GillianTan
Calling out the “RINO’s” — My sit-down with
@realdonaldtrump
’s 2020 campaign manager and the digital mastermind behind 2016
@parscale
— how they did it, strategy for re-election, and of course Russia
Just got the first interview with
@JeffBezos
and his brother Mark after landing. Jeff: “absolutely awe-inspiring.” Impossible to put into words….
Full convo to come.
Tomorrow, Google CEO
@sundarpichai
joins me in an exclusive interview. He lays out his vision for search in a generative AI world, responds to his critics, and even cracks a few jokes (like this one about using AI to help his son do homework)
Streams Wednesday at 6pET!
.
@Google
CEO
@SundarPichai
tells
@emilychangtv
how he and his family have integrated AI into their lives.
Watch their full in-depth interview on The Circuit
So many great tidbits from my interview with
@sundarpichai
didn’t make the final cut - listen to the podcast for the full convo! Including his thoughts on: TikTok, Apple, Nvidia, AGI, energy and more…
I’m baaaaack!! Big thanks to the
@BloombergTV
@technology
team for holding down the fort during my maternity leave. Missed my cross-country crew and daily video chats 😉Back at it every day at 2pPT!
#BtechBesties
Relevant to the ScarJo debate:
Microsoft CEO
@satyanadella
told me he doesn’t think we should anthropomorphize AI. In fact, he wishes the term “artificial intelligence” had a totally different name.
Big job will be for Bret Taylor as Chair of board, to navigate all these clearly big opinions as they make the transition — something he’s got some experience with as former chair of the board of Twitter. Read our developing story here.