Greg Brockman, co-founder of OpenAI, is set to join Microsoft to lead a new innovative AI research team
Microsoft has recruited Sam Altman, former CEO of OpenAI, and Greg Brockman, co-founder of the organization, to join its ranks.
Altman was ousted from his position at OpenAI last Friday, following a statement from the board expressing doubts about his leadership capabilities. After discussions aimed at potentially reinstating Altman at OpenAI, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed that both Altman and Brockman are poised to head Microsoft’s groundbreaking AI research division, with Altman assuming the role of CEO for this new team.
Nadella expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, “We’re thrilled to announce that Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, alongside their team, will be spearheading a new innovative AI research initiative at Microsoft. We are eager to provide them with the necessary resources for their endeavors.”
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Altman confirmed his move to Microsoft by echoing Nadella’s message with the phrase “the mission continues.” Nadella, in response, hinted at Altman’s new role as CEO at Microsoft, emphasizing the company’s approach of allowing founders and innovators the freedom to shape unique identities and cultures within the organization, similar to successful ventures like GitHub, Mojang Studios, and LinkedIn.
Typically, Microsoft designates the CEO title to leaders of specific divisions or major subsidiaries within the tech giant. Recently, Phil Spencer was appointed as Microsoft Gaming CEO, highlighting Microsoft’s practice of retaining CEO positions for various acquisitions such as GitHub, LinkedIn, Mojang, and Activision Blizzard. This move suggests strategic implications for Microsoft’s new AI research team.
Brockman also disclosed that the incoming team at Microsoft will include key personnel from OpenAI. Jakub Pachocki, OpenAI’s research director, is expected to assume a leadership role within Microsoft’s advanced AI research unit. Additionally, OpenAI research professor Szymon Sidor and training head Aleksander Madry are set to join Microsoft in leadership capacities, as per Brockman’s announcement. Employees at OpenAI are signaling more departures with statements like “OpenAI is nothing without its people” on X.
Altman’s appointment comes shortly after negotiations with OpenAI’s board failed to reinstate him as CEO. As a result, Emmett Shear, former CEO of Twitch and co-creator of Carbon, has been named interim CEO, succeeding Mira Murati, who temporarily held the position after Altman’s abrupt dismissal.
Sources close to the situation revealed that Altman’s efforts to regain his CEO position at OpenAI were rebuffed by the four-member board. Reports also suggest that he was pitching a separate venture involving the development of Nvidia-based AI Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) chips to potential investors. This initiative, codenamed “Tigris,” garnered interest from major enterprise players, including Microsoft.
Microsoft’s latest AI research endeavor, led by Altman and Brockman, follows Microsoft’s recent announcement of a specialized AI hardware platform designed to facilitate large-scale language modeling tasks and reduce reliance on Nvidia technology. The company has also introduced its custom-designed AI accelerator for edge computing workloads. Both proprietary hardware solutions are aimed at powering Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure.
Altman and OpenAI had collaborated with Microsoft on enhancing and evaluating the Maia AI platform. While Microsoft downplayed the impact of this collaboration on its existing Nvidia partnership, the Maia GPU represents a significant advancement, with plans for a next-generation version already in progress.
Microsoft’s substantial investment in OpenAI, rumored to be in the multibillion-dollar range, underscores the strategic partnership between the two entities. As the exclusive cloud provider for OpenAI, Microsoft’s cloud services support various OpenAI workloads, including product deployments, API services, and research initiatives.
Nadella reaffirmed Microsoft’s commitment to the collaboration with OpenAI, emphasizing the company’s dedication to product development, customer support, and partnership growth. He expressed eagerness to engage with Emmett Shear and OpenAI’s new leadership team, signaling a continued collaborative effort moving forward.
