OpenAI Armageddon is here. The buzzy AI company seemed to cut off its own head as it unexpectedly and dramatically ousted its cofounder and CEO Sam Altman on Friday, setting off a series of dominoes that included a fight with funder Microsoft, a public standoff among the board members, an exodus of senior leadership, and a threat to quit from nearly all of OpenAI’s 770 employees. Through it all, the deposed founder appeared unfazed, revealing little except confidence in his vision until the surprise announcement on Sunday that he would essentially reprise his old role, but at Microsoft.
So who is the visionary startup founder who elevated OpenAI to an $86 billion valuation and holds the loyalty of his fellow executives as well as his hundreds of employees? He’s a college dropout and doomsday prepper from Missouri who likes fast cars.
