Former OpenAI Council Member Reveals The Story Behind The CEO's Dismissal And Recovery

Helen Toner, a former member of the OpenAI council (photo: x @hlntnr)

Shelen Toner, a former member of the OpenAI board, revealed a surprising fact about the existence of ChatGPT, which the council only learned about after seeing it on Twitter, now platform X. This was revealed in an interview on the podcast "The Ted AI Show" which was broadcast on Tuesday, May 28.

Toner gave the first detailed explanation of the background behind the dramatic dismissal of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman last November. He described Altman as a manipulative executive who created the "toxic atmosphere".

What has *really* been happening at OpenAI? Former board member @hlntnr and host @bilawalsidhu take a peek behind the curtain — plus the future of government regulation of AI. Listen to The TED AI Show on @AmazonMusic or wherever you get your podcasts: https://t.co/wZh1JsVy7m pic.twitter.com/kc31ElaZiC

— TED Talks (@TEDTalks) May 28, 2024

What has *really* been happening at OpenAI? Former board member @hlntnr and host @bilawalsidhu take a peek behind the curtain — plus the future of government regulation of AI. Listen to The TED AI Show on @AmazonMusic or wherever you get your podcasts: https://t.co/wZh1JsVy7m pic.twitter.com/kc31ElaZiC

One of the factors that triggered the dismissal of Altman was a report from two OpenAI executives about the "psychological harassment" case to the council. According to Toner, the report was so serious that they even sent evidence in the form of screenshots and documentation.

Altman has not yet responded to a request for comment, while OpenAI refers to Bret Taylor's statement, the current chairman of the council, stating that a review of the incident has been carried out.

Altman returned to OpenAI just four days after being sacked, after nearly all company staff threatened to leave unless the board stepped down and restored him.

In the podcast, Toner reveals that Altman's return was quickly caused by employee concerns that the company would collapse without his presence. In addition, there is a fear of retaliation from Altman if they do not support him.

OpenAI, backed by Microsoft, sparked a generative artificial intelligence trend with the launch of chatbot ChatGPT in 2022.