Nadella signals he's open to Altman returning to OpenAI as employees threaten to quit
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More news: Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella has signalled that he would be open to Sam Altman returning to OpenAI rather than joining his company. The comments come after nearly all of OpenAI's 700 employees threatened to quit in an open letter, calling for the resignation of the board responsible for Altman's sacking.
What they said: In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Nadella said “Irrespective of where Sam is, he’s working with Microsoft."
Microsoft stock hits record high after Altman hire
The news: Microsoft stock reached a record high on Monday after the company announced the hiring of ousted OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who will join the tech giant to "lead a new advanced AI research team".
The numbers: Microsoft shares rose over 2% to hit $378.81 following the hiring of Altman and former OpenAI president Greg Brockman. Microsoft — OpenAI's biggest stakeholder, having pumped $US13 billion ($19.8 billion) into the company — had seen its shares fall 1.7% on Friday after Altman was ousted as CEO.
The context: Altman was abruptly fired by the OpenAI board on Friday, in a surprise move that sent shockwaves through Silicon Valley and Wall Street. OpenAI's president Greg Brockman resigned following the announcement, while Microsoft led an effort to reinstate both Altman and Brockman to the nonprofit over the weekend. Both have now been appointed to lead Microsoft's new in-house artificial intelligence team in a bid to shore up the company's AI plans and reassure investors.
What they said: Posting on X, Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella said: "We’re extremely excited to share the news that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, together with colleagues, will be joining Microsoft to lead a new advanced AI research team. We look forward to moving quickly to provide them with the resources needed for their success."
Altman posted: "satya and my top priority remains to ensure openai continues to thrive".
The source: Reuters
