Microsoft’s stock price rose by 1.6% in early trading after the announcement of the hiring of Sam Altman, co-founder and former number one of OpenAI, as a new member of its artificial intelligence research team. The company’s CEO, Satya Nadella, announced the news on X and welcomed Altman to the team.
Altman and Greg Brockman, both co-founders of OpenAI, will lead a new AI research project within Microsoft. Other key employees from OpenAI will also join the company as part of this team. This announcement marks a significant shift in the world of AI as Microsoft continues to invest heavily in this technology and integrate it into its own products.
Emmett Shear, who was previously head of Twitch before joining OpenAI as interim CEO following Altman’s dismissal last Friday, has also joined Microsoft as a key member of this AI research team. He stated that his decision to join the company was made “in a matter of hours” and that he believes OpenAI is one of the most important companies in existence today. Shear plans to launch an independent investigation within 30 days to shed light on Altman’s firing and the upheaval within OpenAI.