Court-Released Sam Altman Texts Show He Proposed Microsoft Buy OpenAI Amid Boardroom Coup

OpenAI’s board removed Sam Altman as chief executive on November 17, 2023, triggering an employee exodus and a governance crisis. With Microsoft having invested more than $13 billion in OpenAI, the turmoil threatened their partnership and underscored a power struggle over who would steer the development of AGI.

Texts from the period of Altman’s ouster, recently disclosed in Elon Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI, show that he proposed a Microsoft acquisition of OpenAI to break the boardroom deadlock. The messages also indicated that the board’s unwillingness to let Altman control the direction of AGI was the main reason for his removal. He ultimately returned as chief executive on November 22, 2023.