OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has been ousted from the artificial intelligence research lab he co-founded, the company announced Friday.
Altman’s departure follows a review by the company’s board of directors, which found he was not consistently transparent in communications with the board. That lack of candor hindered the board’s ability to perform its oversight duties, the company said.
“The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI,” the company said in a statement.
OpenAI appointed chief technology officer Mira Murati as interim CEO while it conducts a search for a permanent replacement.
Founded in 2015 as a nonprofit research lab, OpenAI attracted wide attention last year after unveiling its ChatGPT chatbot. Backed by billions of dollars in funding from Microsoft and other tech industry investors, the San Francisco-based startup is now valued at more than $80 billion.
Altman owns no shares in OpenAI, which he has said operates as a “capped-profit” company. He told Congress earlier this year that the only compensation he receives is health insurance.