Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has criticized OpenAI for not consulting with the company before firing former CEO Sam Altman. Nadella stated that it would have been the “very least” the board could have done given their investment in OpenAI and the close partnership between the two companies.
Nadella explained that Microsoft has invested billions in OpenAI, with both companies using each other’s technology. ChatGPT is used to power Microsoft’s Bing search engine, while OpenAI uses Microsoft’s Azure cloud servers. However, Microsoft was not aware of Altman’s removal until OpenAI made it public.
The Microsoft CEO expressed his disappointment with how OpenAI handled the situation and believes that as a partner, they deserve to be consulted on big decisions. He also emphasized the importance of maintaining a strong partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI for their shared mission.
Last Friday, OpenAI abruptly announced Altman’s firing as CEO, leading to chaos at the company. On Monday, Nadella announced that he had hired Altman and former OpenAI president Greg Brockman to head Microsoft’s new advanced AI research team. However, this news did not end the drama as nearly all of OpenAI’s staff are threatening to quit unless the board resigns and Altman returns as CEO.
Nadella seems prepared for this possibility and assured Swisher that there will be a place for all AI talent at Microsoft regardless of what happens at OpenAI. He stated that they will be supportive of whoever remains even if they move on from OpenAI or start a new project altogether.
Representatives from both companies did not respond immediately to requests for comment from Business Insider outside regular business hours.
It appears that there are still some tensions between these two tech giants, but Nadella seems determined to maintain a positive relationship with them in order to further advance their shared mission in AI technology.