OpenAI, the groundbreaking artificial intelligence (AI) company was thrown into chaos on Friday following the ouster of its former CEO and co-founder Sam Altman. Now it is facing a mass exodus of OpenAI employees.

The Board also forced the resignation of OpenAI President and co-founder Greg Brockman which was quickly followed by three senior researchers who quit in protest.

The board's decision was met with discontent by the investors and throughout the organization. And has led to a number of high-profile resignations and a unified stand by hundreds of employees against the current leadership.

Talks to reinstate Altman at OpenAI collapsed on Sunday. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced on Monday that Altman and Brockman were joining Microsoft to head a new AI research team.

On Sunday, Ilya Sutskever, the chief scientist and another cofounder at OpenAI, expressed remorse for his role in firing Sam Altman.

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OpenAI Employees

Over the weekend, 650 out of OpenAI's 770 employees signed a collective letter threatening to resign unless Altman and Brockman were reinstated, and the current board members stepped down. Microsoft's interest in hiring the departing OpenAI talent further fueled the exodus.

While the board's decision to remove Altman remains shrouded in vagueness, speculations suggest internal conflicts related to the nature of OpenAI's operations.

Operating as a nonprofit dedicated to AI safety, OpenAI faces challenges balancing its commitment to responsible technology development against the pressures of rapid growth and commercial success.

Founded in 2015 by Altman, alongside notable figures like Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and Reid Hoffman, who brought in Greg Brockman and Ilya Sutskever.

OpenAI swiftly gained traction with the release of cutting-edge AI technologies, including Chat GPT and DALL-E. These innovations, while celebrated for their transformative potential, have also raised concerns about job displacement and the proliferation of AI-generated misinformation.

Microsoft's Big Move

Sam Altman's wealth, influence, and connections have made his transition to Microsoft a focal point.  While Microsoft has not disclosed the specifics of its AI research goals under Altman's leadership, the broader industry trend highlights the increasing integration of AI-driven technologies across various sectors.

A mass exodus of 75% of the employees might be difficult to withstand. And Microsoft's move to secure Altman and his OpenAI team underscores the competitiveness of the breakthrough technology.

No one thinks that the chaos at OpenAI will mitigate potential risks and harms or somehow make AI safer. The ongoing government efforts to regulate and oversee AI technologies appear to be moving much slower than the rapidly evolving tech landscape.