Sam Altman fired and reinstated at OpenAI within five days as board loses control of AI company

OpenAI's board fires CEO Sam Altman on November 17, 2023, citing lack of candor with the board, and installs CTO Mira Murati as interim CEO. Within 24 hours, nearly all 770 OpenAI employees threaten to quit unless Altman is reinstated. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announces Microsoft will hire Altman and any departing OpenAI staff. Five days later, Altman returns as CEO under a reconstituted board. The crisis exposes fundamental tensions between OpenAI's nonprofit safety mission and its $86 billion commercial valuation. The episode raises questions about whether profit-driven investors or safety-focused researchers control AI's most powerful technology.