Sam Altman has wasted no time since being rehired as CEO of OpenAI on November 22, four days after being fired. This week, the 38-year-old leader of one of the most influential artificial intelligence firms outlined his “immediate priorities” and announced a newly constituted “initial board” that includes a non-voting seat for investor Microsoft. The three voting members thus far include former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor as chairman and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Larry Summers — both newcomers — and sophomore Adam D’Angelo, CEO of Quora. Mira Murati, interim CEO during Altman’s brief absence, returns to her role as CTO.

Notably absent from the initial group are two OpenAI co-founders who were board members prior to Altman’s ouster: Greg Brockman, who resigned as president in solidarity with Altman, and Ilya Sutskever, the chief scientist who was reported to have had a seminal role ejecting Altman.

While it is possible Brockman may be reinstated when phase two of the reorganization kicks in, Sutskever’s continuing role at the company is less clear, with Altman writing in his blog post that “we hope to continue our working relationship and are discussing how he can continue his work at OpenAI.”

Altman added of the respected Russian computer scientist, “I love and respect Ilya, I think he’s a guiding light of the field and a gem of a human being. I harbor zero ill will towards him.”

As Altman “retakes the reins of the high-profile artificial intelligence startup,” he outlined priorities that include “building safe AI systems and products that benefited its customers,” adding that the new board will “focus on improving governance and overseeing an independent review of the events that led to and followed his removal as chief executive,” writes The New York Times.

“One of the directors’ primary tasks will be to build out a more permanent board,” according to Bloomberg. While there was no mention of who from Microsoft will fill its observer seat, CEO Satya Nadella has been supportive of the OpenAI relationship and Altman, briefly hiring the executive during his days-long unemployment.

“OpenAI is ending the month of November with stronger governance and a governance foundation than it had when the month began,” Bloomberg quotes Microsoft President Brad Smith telling reporters in London Thursday, adding that the recent moves “are giving us more confidence” and “should give government and customers more confidence.”

Prior to his OpenAI rehiring, speculation surfaced that Altman and some board members disagreed about the pace of AI development and issues involving transparency.

Related:
The Inside Story of Microsoft’s Partnership with OpenAI, The New Yorker, 12/1/23
OpenAI Exposes the Clash of Governing Money and Mission. Bloomberg, 12/1/23
Interview: Sam Altman on Being Fired and Rehired by OpenAI, The Verge, 11/29/23
OpenAI’s Chaos Linked to Super Powerful New AI It Secretly Built, Futurism, 11/27/23