logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2023
21m 16s

Emergency Pod: Sam Altman is Out at Open...

The New York Times
About this episode

Sam Altman, the chief executive of Open AI, was pushed out of the company by its board of directors on Friday. The news was a complete shock to much of the company’s employee base and to its largest corporate partner, Microsoft. Silicon Valley insiders are scrambling to get answers on exactly what happened and why the board’s decision seemed so abrupt. We rundown what we know and the many things we still don’t.

Up next
Jul 4
Hard Fork Live, Part 2: Patrick Collison of Stripe + Kathryn Zealand of Skip + Listener Questions
We’re back with part two of Hard Fork Live (see last week’s episode for part one). This week, Patrick Collison, Stripe’s chief executive, joins us onstage for a wide-ranging conversation about how Silicon Valley could unleash greater progress, from building new housing to curing ... Show More
57m 46s
Jun 27
Hard Fork Live, Part 1: Sam Altman and Brad Lightcap of OpenAI
The first Hard Fork Live is officially in the books, and for those who couldn’t attend, we’re playing highlights from the event in this episode and the next. This week, Mayor Daniel Lurie of San Francisco makes a surprise appearance to discuss the advice he’s receiving from tech ... Show More
57m 4s
Jun 20
Trump Is Selling a Phone + The Start-Up Trying to Automate Every Job + Allison Williams Talks ‘M3GAN 2.0’
This week, President Trump’s family business announced that it was introducing a mobile phone and a cellular network. We tick through the many potential conflicts of interest this new business venture raises. Then, the co-founders of the startup Mechanize defend their efforts to ... Show More
1h 3m
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
The messy human drama behind OpenAI
The company behind ChatGPT pushed out its CEO Sam Altman on Friday. OpenAI's board gave the public little insight into its controversial decision. On Sunday, Microsoft announced it was hiring Sam Altman. By Monday morning, hundreds of OpenAI employees are threatening to leave unl ... Show More
9m 29s
Nov 2023
Quick Take: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and Board Drama
It’s been a whirlwind week for Sam Altman at OpenAI - where he was removed by the board and has now been reinstated. It’s the biggest news in artificial intelligence this week, and hosts Greg Stuart and Rex Briggs give their takes and share their past experiences with boards maki ... Show More
8m 36s
Nov 2023
Sam Altman Returns as OpenAI CEO Amid Chaos
Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Technology Analyst Mandeep Singh and Bloomberg Technology Executive Editor Tom Giles discuss Sam Altman heading back to lead OpenAI less than five days after he was pushed out of one of the world’s most valuable startups, setting off a shock back-and ... Show More
42m 51s
Nov 2023
OpenAI will benefit from unity of purpose with Sam Altman’s return
In case you missed it, Sam Altman is back as OpenAI CEO. His reinstatement comes after a whirlwind few days in which we saw unusual corporate governance lead to an attempt to oust Altman, despite support from both Microsoft and the vast majority of OpenAI’s workforce. While the w ... Show More
4m 20s
Nov 2023
Sam Altman in Negotiations to Come Back as OpenAI CEO
In this episode, we delve into the unfolding story of Sam Altman potentially returning to the helm of OpenAI as CEO. We explore the implications of this move for the company and the broader AI industry. Invest in AI Box: https://republic.com/ai-box 
5m 42s
Dec 2023
The exit and reinstatement of Sam Altman
In a week marked by unexpected turns and twists, OpenAI, the leader in AI development, witnessed a whirlwind of leadership changes that captured the attention of the business and tech world. In this episode of Down to Business English, Skip Montreux and Samantha Vega take listene ... Show More
19m 36s
Jun 2024
Former OpenAI Engineer William Saunders on Silence, Safety, and the Right to Warn
This week, a group of current and former employees from OpenAI and Google DeepMind penned an open letter accusing the industry’s leading companies of prioritizing profits over safety. This comes after a spate of high profile departures from OpenAI, including co-founder Ilya Sutsk ... Show More
37m 47s