You know it was an epic weekend when SpaceX Starship launched a second flight test, opening an era of possibility for space travel, Australia beat India to win the 2023 Cricket World Cup, and the OpenAI leadership board fired their Founder and CEO, Sam Altman, in a dramatic coup. This event at OpenAI rocked the world by storm and had people talking about it all over the internet over five days, from Friday evening (17th November 2023) to Tuesday (21st November 2023). Thousands of tweets on X (formerly Twitter), articles, videos, and interviews on almost every big media outlet worldwide reported about this event and the people who were involved.
By now, we all know about the result of the event. Long story short, Sam Altman was letting go in an unexpected Google Meet call on Friday afternoon. Greg Brockman, President and Co-Founder, quit following the news as he and Sam were "shocked and saddened by what the board did". On Saturday, OpenAI's employees showered X with hearts and tweets to support Sam "OpenAI is nothing without its people". They also threatened the board with mass quitting if Sam was not reinstated as CEO and required the board to resign by the end of the weekend. It was a dramatic Sunday when Sam was back in the OpenAI building to join a discussion about his prospect of whether to come back to OpenAI or on his way to founding new AI ventures. The plot thickened on Monday when Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced on X that Microsoft had hired Sam and Greg to build a new advanced AI project. Microsoft also promised to open its doors to all OpenAI employees who quit to follow Sam in this event. However, on Tuesday, Sam made a triumphant return as the CEO of OpenAI. What an epic course of events!
Many important questions remain unanswered, such as what were the motives for the board in firing Sam, as the board refused (or was unable) to provide a clear reason for doing so? Did OpenAI achieve a breakthrough in creating a super artificial intelligence? And many more. I believe the answers to those questions will eventually be revealed one way or another. However, I am more interested in the lessons learnt from this turn of events.
My best observation is that Sam's triumph comes from his storytelling, how he presents himself to his employees, investors, and the internet, and his characteristics of kindness and sincerity. He might not be best known for his technical skills, but he is an expert in his own field: entreupreneurship. His story is so compelling, and his characters are so authentic that his people are willing to show their loyalty and pledge to follow him anywhere he goes next. He is excellent proof that who you are as a person and how you tell your stories are as important as your technical skills.
Another take from this event is that it is important to take accountability for our mistakes. Ilya Sutskever, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist at OpenAI, informed Sam of the shocking news on Friday. The following two days, he might have experienced the most stressful time since people over the internet openly criticised and accused him of conspiring against Sam despite no official information. On Monday, he opened up on X and admitted that he deeply regrets his participation in the board's actions to fire Sam. Unexpectedly, he also signed the letter requesting the OpenAI board to resign. I believe that it took him courage and integrity to be able to do so. Because, as humans, we make mistakes; otherwise, we would not be here. Even the brightest minds can make a wrong move. So, as long as we acknowledge our shortcomings and learn from our mistakes, we can move on and grow stronger.
My final thought is that there will always be a better day. Sam, a Founder and CEO, was fired from his own company. He definitely had a bad day. But he took the next few days to make the remarkable comeback and planned for his new ventures. I know it is impossible to compare, but in life, there are times when we have to face the hard truths just like Sam did, just on a different scale. Like Sam has his employees and supporters, we have our friends, family and pets on our sides. In the worst-case scenario, we still have our own self, determination and willpower to overcome challenges that life throws our way. I am a strong believer that with resilience, calmness and faith, we can weather any storm.
Comments