Microsoft Offers Sam Altman to Lead the In-House AI Team Followed by Oust from OpenAI

Microsoft has appointed Sam Altman, the former CEO of OpenAI to lead their new in-house AI team after the news of his ouster from OpenAI came out. This decision depicts Microsoft's willingness to reinforce its commitment to artificial intelligence (AI) and get the best talent in the industry in hand as it comes on the heels of Altman’s unexpected departure from OpenAI last week. The move signals Microsoft’s determination to fortify its AI initiatives and assure its stakeholders.

The announcement was made through an early Monday LinkedIn post. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced Altman’s role in heading the new AI team, along with the inclusion of Greg Brockman, another board member of OpenAI. Nadella has also pledged swift resource allocation to ensure the success of Altman and Brockman in their new roles.

Nadella again confirmed the news of Altman’s appointment as the CEO of the newly formed in-house AI group through a separate post on X.

“I’m super excited to have you join as CEO of this new group, Sam, setting a new pace for innovation. We’ve learned a lot over the years about how to give founders and innovators space to build independent identities and cultures within Microsoft, including GitHub, Mojang Studios, and LinkedIn, and I’m looking forward to having you do the same,” wrote Satya Nadella in his X post.

This move follows a series of rapid developments that took place over this weekend, including Altman’s departure from OpenAI, and the subsequent appointment of former Twitch chief Emmett Shear as CEO of OpenAI.

Despite the abrupt changes in leadership at OpenAI, Nadella still underscored Microsoft’s unwavering commitment to their partnership. He has been steering Microsoft’s product lineup toward OpenAI’s technology and has invested $13 billion dollars in the startup making it the largest stakeholder. However, the recent changes at OpenAI have raised concerns about the potential impact on Microsoft’s broader AI strategy.